MechChem Africa January-February 2023

⎪ Local manufacturing and food processing ⎪

Tetra Pak ® South Africa joins PETCO In an increased effort to drive collection and recycling of liquid board packaging (LBP) in South Africa, Tetra Pak South Africa will join the PET Recycling Company NPC (PETCO), a well-established Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO).

O n January 1, 2023, Tetra Pak be came a member of the recycling non-profit company, PETCO. Tet ra Pak’s decision to join PETCO was driven by a need to improve the collec tion and recycling of liquid board packaging (LBP) in South Africa, a material widely used for beverage cartons. LBT is a stiff multi-ply paperboardwith a barrier coating. It is widely used in the food and beverage industries for containing milk, juices and cereals. PETCO, which has a successful track record in supporting recycling value chains, will be administering an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme to cater for the LBP sector from January 2023, in addition to the other EPR schemes already being of fered by PETCO. As the first member to join PETCO’s LBP EPR scheme, Tetra Pak South Africa and PETCO are taking an exciting first step

with this new partnership and, in time, the expectation is that other LBP converters and brand owners will join this scheme for a greater impact. As part of this joining of forces, both Tetra Pak and PETCO commit to improving aware ness by increased educational activities among the South African public on issues related to LBP segregation and collection. In addition, the scheme will be implementing a model for value chain support to stimulate collection and increase end-use demand for recycled content. There is already existing recycling capacity and infrastructure for LBP in the country that has been developed over the years, and the intended model will seek to maximise use of this. Recycling, which is at the centre of a low-carbon circular economy, aims to reduce waste and keep materials in use for longer. LBP can be recycled and transformed into a wide range of new products. However, segregation at source, col lection and sorting are critical for

PETCO CEO Cheri Scholtz.

each scheme will remain self-funding and all value chain support will be funded directly by the producers of that specific material. PETCO remains committed to ensuring that all our members, current and new, are and remain compliant with the Section 18 EPR regulations. We look forward to working with Tetra Pak South Africa and other users of LBP to build on the successes achieved by PETCO and our members to date.” Klaus Plenge, Tetra Pak SA MD, adds: “A critical pillar of our sustainability strategy is founded on our commitment to a low carbon circular economy. At Tetra Pak, we are acutely aware of the broader impact of our operations on the environment and society and we are always striving to find more progressive ways to continue to pro tect what’s good. “We are proud to be joining forces with PETCO, which will help us unite to build a circular economy in South Africa. Our commitment is towards people and the en vironment, which is connected to 'producing responsible products’. Packaging has and continues to offer essential functionalities: protecting food and beverages, allowing their safe use and transport, and preventing food wastage,” he says. “The beverage carton industry believes that packaging can, and should, contribute to mitigating the biggest global challenge: climate change, while not compromising on food safety,” Plenge concludes. www.tetrapak.com www.petco.co.za

recycling to work. Tetra Pak believes that EPR regulations are essen tial and in line with the company’s ambitions of improving the recycling value chain for LBP. The success of a cir cular economy requires collaboration beyond the traditional boundaries of business operators. This partnership will en sure that both partners bring together a network of producers, collectors, suppl iers and other key stakeholders. PETCO CEO Ch e r i Scholtz says: “In offering an EPR scheme for LBP, we see immediate synergies for a number of our members that already sell products in both PET and LBP. We also know that the waste streams wi thin which we

The Tetra Brik ® Aseptic 1000

Square LBP carton has a plant based

HeliCap26 Pro opening. Liquid

Board Packaging is a stiff multi-ply paperboard with a barrier coating that is widely used in the food and beverage industries.

work are not exclusive to PET and expanding our focus to include LBP is relatively simple for our teams in the field. “As with our other EPR schemes,

January-February 2023 • MechChem Africa ¦ 33