Aluminium-free cardboard packaging wins 4evergreen Award

4evergreen is a cross-industry network that represents the entire life cycle of fibre-based packaging - from the forestry industry to packaging manufacturers, designers, brand owners and recyclers. The aim of the network is to achieve a recycling rate of 90% for fibre-based packaging in Europe by 2030.

The „Circularity Success Stories“ awards recognise individual or joint projects and initiatives that have been implemented with the support of 4evergreen tools. Pioneering work in the field of the circular economy and fibre-based packaging to achieve. As the winner, SIG will have the exclusive opportunity to present the projects at the upcoming 4evergreen annual conference, which will take place on 20 November in Brussels and also online.

SIG is committed to using less and less aluminium and polymers in its packaging materials without compromising on quality. SIG Terra Alu-free + Full Barrier, one of the latest developments in the field of sustainable innovations, is the world's first aseptic carton packaging material with full barrier protection that does not require an aluminium layer. Full barrier protection means that the material can also be used for oxygen-sensitive products such as juices. With barrier properties comparable to those of standard aseptic carton packs, SIG Terra Alu-free + Full Barrier ensures that food and beverages are protected for long periods of time, even without refrigeration.

To accelerate innovation in the circular economy, the industry is working to convert more and more used beverage cartons into resources and keep them in circulation. SIG is determined to fulfil the ten industry commitments of the ambitious 2030 Roadmap of the Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment (ACE) including a recycling rate of at least 70 per cent for used beverage cartons in the EU, which will be verified by independent third parties.

The Palurec PolyAl recycling plant in Germany, which was launched by the Fachverband Kartonverpackungen für flüssige Nahrungsmittel e.V. (FKN) and made possible by joint investments by the three major beverage carton manufacturers in 2021, makes an important contribution to cartonboard recycling in Europe. In the plant, PolyAl (the plastic-aluminium mixture from used beverage cartons) is converted into marketable raw materials. 4evergreen's award for this plant recognises the important contribution that SIG and its industry partners are making to increasing the recycling of used beverage cartons in Europe.

Source: SIG