Tetra Pak, the world-leading processing and packaging solutions company, together with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Thailand and Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC™) held a media roundtable to discuss how future food packaging can help address a trade-off between people and the planet. Food packaging plays a critical role in feeding the world, but it also impacts the earth’s climate and its limited resources. However, according to the roundtable panelists, we do not have to choose between protecting our planet’s ecosystem and meeting the human need for food.
Tetra Pak believes in the positive role which food packaging can play in bringing about the harmony between people and the Planet. The company is strongly committed to building a sustainable future of the planet based on a low-carbon circular economy; it has worked for years to reduce the environmental impact of its carton package. Now Tetra Pak is accelerating its efforts to develop an ideal carton packaging for the future: a fully renewable and recyclable carton. The world needs such high-performance packaging that increases food access and reduces food waste, supported by ambient distribution to reduce carbon emissions.
Yingyong Vityananan, Head of Corporate Engagement & Partnership of WWF Thailand addresses by confirming the fact from WWF’s Living Planet Report 2020, the world’s population growth and land use during the half-century destroy the planet at an alarming rate. We are devastating species populations and we are also exacerbating climate change. “This is why conservation work is an urgent need to be done to protect this planet for our future generations“
Prasnee Tipraqsa, FSC Project Coordinator Greater Mekong (Thailand), shares these concerns: “We are living in a world in which natural resources are being rapidly depleted. Only responsible resource management by every industry will help us stem and reverse this trend. For pulp and paper, adopting the use of FSC-certified materials is an important and critical step. This label guarantees that the paperboard that the company uses comes from sustainably managed forests. FSC is recognized worldwide as the most trusted forest management solution, and a trusted environmental standard in pulp and paper when the materials are sourced from FSC-certified, responsibly managed forests”
Tetra Pak was among one of the first companies in the industry to receive FSC certification in 2007 and today, all of Tetra Pak carton packages are FSC-certified. In Thailand the company introduced carton packages with FSC certification as early as in 2010, and by now Tetra Pak Thailand has already delivered over 26 billion carton packages with this label.
Patinya Silsupadol, Sustainability Director at Tetra Pak (Thailand) Limited, says: “We continuously develop sustainable food packages that never compromise food safety and contribute to reducing food waste. Our technologies extend the shelf life of food and help keep food safe, without the need for refrigeration or preservatives.”
