Global packaging major Tetra Pak has unveiled a €60 million investment to fast-track the commercialization of next-generation paper-based barrier technology, reinforcing its push toward low-carbon and fully recyclable food and beverage packaging.
The investment will fund a company-owned pilot plant at Tetra Pak’s Lund facility in Sweden, designed to accelerate the development and scale-up of aseptic carton materials that eliminate conventional aluminum foil layers — a long-standing challenge in carton sustainability.
Under the new approach, aluminum is replaced with a paper-based barrier, lifting the paper content of cartons to nearly 80 per cent. When combined with plant-based polymers, the total traceable renewable content can reach up to 92 per cent, enabling a carbon footprint reduction of up to 43 per cent, the company said.
By simplifying carton structures from three materials to two — paper and polymers — Tetra Pak also expects significant gains in recyclability. These include improved fibre recovery and higher-quality separation of paper and non-paper components during recycling processes.
The Lund pilot plant will serve as a full-scale innovation and validation hub, allowing customers to evaluate the technology across the entire production chain — from barrier creation and packaging material development to the production of filled packages. The location was chosen for its strong research ecosystem, proximity to Lund University, and access to advanced analytical capabilities at the MAX IV Laboratory.
Commenting on the announcement, Joakim Tuvesson, Vice President – Materials & Package at Tetra Pak, said the investment reflects the company’s ambition to make sustainable packaging solutions more scalable and accessible. He noted that the facility will help customers transition faster to lower-carbon alternatives, with pilot plant operations expected to begin in the first quarter of 2027.
The initiative forms part of Tetra Pak’s broader sustainability roadmap, which includes planned investments of around €100 million annually through 2030 in sustainable packaging innovation. In 2023, the company introduced the world’s first aseptic beverage carton featuring a paper-based barrier, developed in partnership with a Portuguese dairy producer — an innovation that later earned the Resource Efficiency Award at the Sustainable Packaging News Awards 2024.
With this latest commitment, Tetra Pak is further consolidating its position as a leader in renewable and recyclable packaging solutions, supporting the global food and beverage industry’s transition toward a lower-carbon, circular packaging future.