Description of Individual or organization

At Tetra Pak, our vision is to make food safe and available, everywhere. We work for and with our customers to provide preferred processing and packaging solutions for food and beverages. 

As a global company, our packages can be found in over 175 countries. Each day a team of over 24,000 employees ensures that each one of our 188 billion packages sold annually provide a safe, innovative and environmentally sound experience. 

Locally, Tetra Pak has been a part of the North Texas community since 1982 when we broke ground on our packaging material converting plant in Denton, Texas. From that time, our presence has continued to grow with the converting plant now producing over 5 billion cartons annually. The 2014 addition of a new 32,000 square feet front office has positioned North Texas as the headquarters for all of Tetra Pak’s operations in the Americas.

Leadership (Nominee demonstrates leadership through example, knowledge, attitude)

Tetra Pak has positioned the environment as one of its four pillars of sustainable growth. We’ve committed to reduce our environmental footprint across the value chain, develop sustainable products and increase recycling. 

As part of its leadership commitments, Tetra Pak has committed to completing annual CDP reports. In recognition of its efforts, Tetra Pak was one of only 7 companies, out of a total of 175, to have been awarded a sector leadership position in forestry. Tetra Pak was also one of only 112 companies, out of a total of 4300 respondents, to be placed on the CDP’s Supplier Climate A List.

To continue growing our role in protecting the climate, Tetra Pak has actively supported the development of a low carbon economy. These commitments include being a signatory to the UN Paris Pledge for Action and Science Based Targets Initiative to reduce GHG emissions to keep global warming well below 2 °C. We have also committed to the RE100 initiative and pledged to source 100 percent of our electricity from renewable energy by 2030.

Environmental Impact (Nominee demonstrates a positive impact on the local environment via policy change, product offering, significant volunteer contribution or other achievement):

Locally, we work to reduce our environmental impact by recycling approximately 98 percent of our Denton converting plant’s waste. More broadly, we work to reduce packaging’s impact on the environment by creating packaging from responsibly sourced renewable material and by growing access to and the rate of carton recycling. 

At Tetra Pak, we believe that renewable materials are a prerequisite to prevent future raw material scarcity. Today, on average, over 75 percent of our package is made from renewable materials and we are continually investing to increase the share of renewable materials in our packages. Through investments in bio-based caps and coatings, we have created the Tetra Rex® bio-based, the first fully renewable gable top package, and the Tetra Brik® Aseptic Edge LightCap™ 30, the first aseptic package on the market that has achieved the highest class of certification from the world-recognized assessment body, Vinçotte. In the U.S., Tetra Pak launched the Moving to the Front campaign to encourage suppliers, manufactures and brand owners to expand their focus to the front end of the packaging life cycle and consider the sustainable sourcing of renewable resources. 

To ensure the renewable paperboard in our packages is responsibly sourced, Tetra Pak (FSC™ C014047) has chosen to partner with the Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC™) certification program. This third-party certification ensures wood fiber is sourced, processed and produced in line with FSC standards throughout the supply chain, and that all documentation is valid and correct. Today, all paperboard sourced by Tetra Pak comes from wood from FSC-certified forests and other controlled sources. 

Finally, we believe that the materials in our packaging should have a second (and third and fourth) life through the process of recycling. As a founding member of the Carton Council, Tetra Pak works to expand access to carton recycling across the U.S. Through investments in education and infrastructure, the Carton Council has brought access to carton recycling up to over 71 million households or 61% of the U.S. population. This represents a 339% increase in access since Carton Council was founded in 2009. Beyond access, Tetra Pak’s investment in the Carton Council has help nurture domestic end markets for recycled carton material, which can be made into locally produced green building materials and paper products.

Community Impact (Nominee demonstrates commitment to DFW green community through involvement with causes, business ventures or organizations)

Tetra Pak is a proud member of the North Texas community. We provide leadership to the State of Texas Alliance for Recycling (STAR) by participating on their Board of Directors and championing the development of a Recycling Business Council in Texas. 

Through our investments in Carton Council, we have provided almost $2 million in recycling infrastructure grants throughout Texas, with $1 million going to the DFW area. We’ve also invested over $650k in education and awareness campaigns, including partnerships with the city of Denton and Allen.

Finally, this year we are a Benefactor-level sponsor at EarthX, the world’s largest Earth Day event, which is held annually at Fair Park in Dallas and a Silver Sponsor at the STAR Summit in Austin.

Other reasons for your nomination

While we are proud of our accomplishments thus far, we are always striving to do more. This commitment can be seen in our membership in the Ellen Macarthur Foundation’s CE100 initiative to accelerate the transition to a circular economy. 

In the US, we are taking initiative by investing in innovative technologies, such as carton sorting robots (https://resource-recycling.com/recycling/2017/08/29/carton-sorting-robot...) and supporting associations, including AMERIPEN, the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, The Sustainability Consortium and many others.