Tetra Pak, in collaboration with its supplier Braskem, has become the first company in the food and beverage industry to offer packaging made with responsibly sourced plant-based polymers, in line with Bonsucro standards for sustainable sugar cane.

The move is part of Tetra Pak’s recently launched Planet Positive initiate, which urges industry stakeholders to drive ethical and responsible business practices across global supply chains, while committing to a low-carbon circular economy.

The plant-based polymers used in some of Tetra Pak cartons -including its closures – are produced from sugarcane. As the company’s plant-based polymer supplier, Braskem has achieved 100% Bonsucro certified volumes of sugarcane derived bioethanol, which in turn establishes full supply chain transparency for Tetra Pak’s plant-based solutions.

Danielle Morley, CEO of Bonsucro said: “Bonsucro provides a global platform for collective action to accelerate sustainability in the production and processing of sugarcane.

“Working with Tetra Pak to achieve third-party certification and product labelling of their sugarcane-derived packaging is a milestone. We are very excited to continue to support responsible sourcing at Tetra Pak and for the contribution that certified sustainable sugarcane can make to plant-based packaging.”

According to Braskem, the supplier has been working with Tetra Pak for more than ten years and its Bonsucro certification refers to the entire sugarcane value chain that goes ‘all the way back to the growers and mills’.

The Bonscuro certified labels will be available to place on packaging from Q1 2020.

 “We’ve seen a growing trend of consumers wanting to do more for the planet, and they look to brands to help,”  said Mario Abreu, VP of Tetra Pak sustainability.

Abreu added: “Today 91% of consumers look for environmental logos when shopping, and Bonsucro Chain of Custody Certification can be used to communicate credible information to consumers, thereby helping our customers differentiate their products.

“Our plant-based polymers are fully traceable to their sugarcane origin. We see plant-based materials as playing a key role in achieving a low-carbon circular economy. In the future all polymers we use will either be made from plant-based materials or from post-consumption recycled food grades.”