Stora Enso and Tetra Pak come together to recover aluminium & fiber from cartons, recycling them as raw material

Pulp and paper industry head from Finland, Stora Enso has partnered with Tetra Pak in scrutinizing a joint beverage packages recycling scheme that would house a specialized venture in Langerbrugge for extracting fiber and making recycled containerboard, with a dedicated partner chipping in for recycling the polymer and aluminium barrier materials.

Every year almost 75,000 tonnes of beverage cartons are recovered out of the Benelux market or technically Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg but there is no prevailing carton recycling infrastructure in the vicinity. This has influenced the joint venture between Stora Enso and Tetra Pak who are now focused on serving the country with its augmented paper-based packaging demand. 

Stora Enso would methodically extract fiber from the collected beverage cartons honouring the joint venture, which in turn, would go to the Langerbrugge site as raw material for manufacturing recycled containerboard. On the other hand, Tetra Pak would nudge a partner onboard to nurture the recycling solution designated for the polymer and aluminium barrier materials to be segregated and processed.

This recycling project is connected to a previous feasibility study by Stora Enso to successfully transform one of the Langerbrugge site’s paper businesses into a heavy-volume recycled containerboard line by the end of the first half of 2023. After a successful investment by the company, the recycling containerboard line is estimated to begin production in 2025.

The joint feasibility study along with Tetra Pak is scheduled to follow the same chronology. The companies are positive about the fact that the Langerbrugge facility will at the first process a calculated amount of 50,000 tonnes of recycled cartons each year with a chance of increased productivity in the upcoming years.

The managing director of France and Benelux at Tetra Pak, Chakib Kara, narrated: “With this joint initiative, we underline our commitment to local recycling progress and improving infrastructure in Benelux, a region with high volumes of collected beverage cartons.”

“Stora Enso is a trusted and important partner which has the know-how and experience we need in fibre recycling. Together with them, we have the potential to put in place a circular solution that helps us secure a world where a growing number of carton packages is collected, recycled and we can minimise litter,” he added.

The VP LPB Aseptic and CUK at Stora Enso, Markku Luoto, explained: “At Stora Enso, we constantly pursue opportunities to deepen our commitment to a circular packaging future. Circularity advancement requires smart investments and collaboration with the right partners.”

“By working jointly with Tetra Pak, we can simultaneously create value, enhance circularity, and grow our competitiveness,” he concluded.

Previously in July, Tetra Pak declared its idea of testing a fibre-based barrier as an alternative for the aluminium layer in its food containers.