Henriksen, who recently attended a panel on the decarbonisation of food systems, which included Lord Deben, Chair of the Climate Change Committee and Wera Hobhouse MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Energy and Climate Change, remains optimistic about the ability of policies to drive more sustainable food packaging production. According to Henriksen, a partnership between politics and business is crucial in achieving this goal. He emphasizes that businesses must unite in supporting the design and implementation of future recycling policies to ensure the establishment of adequate infrastructure for the separate collection of used packaging.
Tetra Pak, in collaboration with the UK government, is actively working towards improving recycling collection and investing in these efforts. As a member of the Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment (ACE), Tetra Pak is actively involved in promoting a circular economy for European carton manufacturers. Henriksen highlights the commitment of Tetra Pak to supporting broader recycling initiatives and promoting beverage cartons as a low carbon, fully recyclable, and renewable packaging format. Currently, 97% of local authority areas in the UK collect cartons for recycling, with 66% implementing kerbside collection.
Despite these positive initiatives, Henriksen criticizes the current state of the UK’s recycling infrastructure. He stresses the need for consistency in the collection infrastructure to boost recycling rates. Henriksen eagerly anticipates the government’s response to the consultation on consistent household and business collection, which he believes will increase current collection and recycling rates while encouraging greater investment in recycling infrastructure, including carton recycling facilities.
Henriksen is a staunch advocate for a greater rollout of Deposit Return Schemes (DRS) across the UK. He acknowledges the concerns raised by some businesses regarding the high cost of implementing the scheme but emphasizes the long-term benefits it offers. Henriksen believes that not being a part of the Deposit Return system will lead to higher Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) fees in the future. He stresses the importance of ensuring that DRS is easily understood by consumers and supported by advanced technology, while also being comprehensive and ambitious in scope.
Henriksen expresses disappointment regarding the limited scope of the Government’s planned DRS in England, which only includes PET plastic and aluminium and steel cans. He also voices disappointment over the government’s failure to explore the use of new, digital DRS technology, which would enable kerbside collection and provide hassle-free collection. He believes that a digital DRS integrated into the kerbside collection system would facilitate a more consistent approach to recycling policies.
Henriksen attributes the growth in sustainable food packaging to increasing consumer demand. He emphasizes that consumers are increasingly prioritizing sustainable packaging and are keen to understand how the food and beverage sector is mitigating the impact of climate change. Tetra Pak’s recent research reveals that 68% of consumers highly value businesses that provide recyclable packaging. Failure to meet these expectations may impact both brand reputation and businesses’ bottom lines. While customer enthusiasm for sustainable packaging is already high, Tetra Pak aims to further increase consumer awareness through educational initiatives.
Henriksen highlights Tetra Pak’s efforts to educate the next generation of consumers about sustainable choices and proper recycling practices. The company invites school classes to compete in sustainability and packaging-related knowledge, aiming to ensure that young consumers make informed choices and dispose of packaging correctly. Tetra Pak’s future developments include the creation of the world’s most sustainable food package made solely from renewable sources and fully recyclable. This innovative packaging solution is currently being tested in Spain, with plans to bring it to the commercial scale soon to meet consumer demand.
In summary, the collaboration between politics and business in driving the production of sustainable food packaging is essential. Tetra Pak’s partnership with the UK government and active involvement in recycling initiatives demonstrates their commitment to a circular economy. However, challenges in the recycling infrastructure and limited scope of the planned DRS call for further improvements. Consumer demand for sustainable packaging continues to rise, and Tetra Pak aims to educate and meet their expectations through innovative initiatives.