Tetra Pak to introduce FSC-labeled cartons in China

Tetra Pak will introduce aseptic cartons bearing the label of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) in China starting this July.

The first Tetra Pak cartons with FSC labels in China will be available in three carton formats: Tetra Fino Aseptic, Tetra Prisma Aseptic and Tetra Brik Aseptic. It is expected that Tetra Pak cartons with FSC labels will reach two billion in 2010 in China alone, with a goal of reaching 14 billion FSC-labeled Tetra Pak packages sold in China in 2011.

‘This represents another step in Tetra Pak’s ongoing commitment to support responsible forest management and drive environmental performance,’ says the company. ‘On the raw material front, Tetra Pak works closely with its paperboard suppliers to ensure that all supply comes from known and acceptable sources. Tetra Pak’s ultimate goal is to have all supply certified to the highest standard, currently set by FSC.’

Since the introduction of the world’s first FSC-labeled liquid food cartons in the UK in 2007, Tetra Pak has introduced FSC-labeled cartons in several markets around the globe, with the total number exceeding 2.3 billion in 2009.

‘Tetra Pak is committed to sustainable development and is working together with suppliers, customers, consumers and NGOs to create a green chain from the upper stream all the way down to the end user,’ said Hudson Lee, president of Tetra Pak China. ‘We are working hard to support responsible forest management and certification in China, building a convenient platform for consumers to be able to support environmental protection and participate in low-carbon activities by teaming up.’

In China, Tetra Pak is actively supporting the country’s sustainable forest management efforts. Since 2006, Tetra Pak has been working with WWF, the China Green Foundation (CGF) and the forestry authority to promote responsible forest management, to provide support for China’s forests to get certified and to provide support for the local sustainable forest management system in the country. In July 2008, with support from Tetra Pak, over 100,000 hectares of forests of Yongan Forestry in Fujian obtained FSC certification, bringing the total area of FSC-certified forests in China to over 700,000 hectares and making China a leader in this area in Asia. In 2010, Tetra Pak is providing support for responsible forest management and certification work in the Tengchong forest, in YunnanProvince.

The FSC label guarantees that the wood fibers in the package are traceable all the way through the supply chain back to the forest and that the paperboard used in the package comes from FSC-certified forests and other controlled sources.

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