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"Green" your grocery experience on Earth Day: Reach for products in carton packs

"Green" your grocery experience on Earth Day: Reach for products in carton packs

Published 04-18-07

Submitted by EnviroMedia Inc.

VERNON HILLS, IL - April 18, 2007 - The next time you buy juice, broth, milk, soy milk, wine or any other product packaged in aseptic cartons, feel good about your choice. It takes 40 percent fewer trucks to deliver table wine to retail store shelves in aseptic cartons compared to traditional packages - and that means fewer harmful emissions.

When it comes to broth, Tetra Pak's product-to-package ratio is 96:4, meaning 96 percent is the liquid inside, while only 4 percent is the actual carton. Less packaging means big transportation emissions savings - fewer trucks mean less fuel used and fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Aseptic packaging also performs better than steel cans: it takes 10 to 15 percent fewer trucks to deliver broth in cartons. If all broth consumed in the U.S. in one year changed to aseptic cartons, the environmental savings would be equal to taking more than 4,600 cars off the road. The environmental savings for wine shipment is 377,000 cars off the road.

"Emissions from trucks are an important cause of climate change - or global warming. When you learn the environmental cost of transportation and how products are shipped, you'll find that no other liquid foods package lessens the impact on climate change from transportation like Tetra Pak aseptic cartons," said Ed Klein, vice president of Public & Environmental Affairs for Tetra Pak, the world leader in complete packaging and processing systems for food products.

Aseptic packaging has been on the market for decades. But with concerns about climate change now top of mind, more and more eco-minded consumers are seeing the benefits of Tetra Pak cartons.

"My pantry is stocked with broth cartons - it's simply more convenient to use them because it saves storage space and I can reuse them after their opened," said Mistala Dodson, who lives in Martinez, California. "I absolutely have to use wine from carton boxes - I insist upon it even more than my husband does. I also buy chocolate soy milk for the daycare I run. The kids love the taste, and it's healthier for them. Milk cartons in particular help cut my food spoilage in half because I can store them at the daycare for such a long time."

Tetra Pak's aseptic packaging allows the food product to remain safe, naturally fresh and nutritious without the need for refrigeration or preservatives up to 12 months. In 1989, the Institute of Food Technologists named aseptic processing and packaging as the most important food science innovation during the previous 50 years.

THE ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS SHOPPER
Aseptic packaging provides many environmental benefits. This Earth Day, Tetra Pak calls on consumers to celebrate the environment at an unlikely place - the grocery store.

  • Use products with minimal packaging or wrapping. Tetra Pak recently reduced the inner plastic layer of aseptic cartons by 35 percent, using the least amount necessary. Globally, that saves 50,000 metric tons of plastic each year.

  • Store instead of refrigerate. It saves energy, and food doesn't perish as quickly. A carton from Tetra Pak does not require refrigeration during transport or storage; this reduces overall energy use which, in turn, means fewer greenhouse gas emissions "“ the gases that cause climate change (most electricity production in the U.S. comes from coal).

  • Learn your product's makeup. Tetra Pak's cartons are made from a renewable and renewed resource - trees. The carton is made from 70 to 81 percent paperboard and it comes from actively managed sustainable forests using practices established by organizations such as the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.

EMERIL, WOLFGANG PUCK USE ASEPTIC PACKAGING
Many companies are moving to aseptic packaging. Consumers may recognize some of these brands on their shelves, which include Campbell's Swanson broth, Emeril's broth, Wolfgang Puck's broth, French Rabbit's wine, Horizon Organic flavored milk and Coca-Cola’s Minute Maid juices, among many others.

ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES
Tetra Pak strives to reduce its environmental footprint and is committed to being a sustainable business. First, Tetra Pak reduced its energy consumption at the plant that makes aseptic packaging in the U.S. by 27 percent from 2002-2005. Earlier this year, the company purchased Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) to offset energy production at that plant for 2007 and 2008 - this means the cartons produced there are carbon neutral and do not contribute to climate change. The RECs are certified by Green-e and allow Tetra Pak to join the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Green Power Partnership, a voluntary program that seeks to increase the use of clean, renewable energy sources among leading U.S. organizations.

Globally, Tetra Pak plans to reduce greenhouse gases use by 10 percent by 2010, even as the company grows. Because of Tetra Pak's commitment to reducing climate change, it is the 11th member to join World Wildlife Fund’s Climate Savers Program.

Tetra Pak's motto 'protects what's good' reflects the philosophy upon which we conduct our business in order to make food safe and available, everywhere.

Operating in more than 165 markets with 20,900 employees, Tetra Pak believes in responsible industry leadership, creating profitable growth in harmony with good corporate citizenship and a sustainable approach to business.

We work closely with our suppliers and customers on preferred processing and packaging solutions to provide convenient, innovative and environmentally sound products to millions of people worldwide.

For more information about aseptic packaging, visit www.tetrapakusa.com.

EnviroMedia Inc.

EnviroMedia Inc.

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