Tetra Pak and saveBOARD launches Australia’s first food & beverage carton recycler facility in NSW
The official opening of Australia’s first food and beverage carton recycling took place on Tuesday 21 February at the New South Wales, saveBOARD recycling facility in Warragamba. This local bespoke solution for beverage cartons, is a significant milestone and a huge step towards our shared environmental goals. A first of its kind in Australia, this facility will remanufacture the entire carton into low carbon construction materials for homes and offices, without using any additional water, adhesives, or chemicals, making it a truly sustainable product.
Cartons are one of the most sustainable packaging options for milk and juice beverages in Australia as they are made mostly of renewable paper fibre, and very little material is needed to safely package food or beverages. However, due to a shortage of suitable infrastructure in Australia many cartons aren’t currently being recycled. This new facility will provide a local recycling solution in Australia, contributing to the circular economy, and could reduce the dependency of exportation of cartons for recycling overseas.
saveBOARD is an industry-led collaboration between Tetra Pak and other carton manufacturers, Closed Loop, and Freightways. The boards produced at the facility can be used as a substitute for plasterboard and the saveBOARD technology provides a zero waste to landfill solution as any offcuts are reused and end-of-life boards can be remanufactured into new boards.
Orders from big organisations and corporations will create demand for the saveBOARD product, which in turn could mean less carbons emissions compared to the production of other construction boards. Not only is there zero manufacturing waste, but the production process uses zero water or chemicals, producing zero VOC emissions or formaldehyde.
At the opening ceremony of the facility co-hosted by saveBOARD and Tetra Pak, saveBOARD CEO and co-founder Paul Charteris said: “It’s exciting to finally be opening the first saveBOARD facility in Australia, supporting the circular economy to make a real impact to the environment and climate change. This facility will enhance the construction industry’s drive towards more sustainable construction practices, while also showing consumers the importance and value in recycling and opting for recyclable products in their day-to-day lives.”
Tetra Pak Australia and New Zealand Managing Director Andrew Pooch said: “We’re incredibly proud to be part of this sustainability journey alongside saveBOARD, as we look at even more innovative ways we can convert carton packaging waste into useful applications, and contribute to a strong circular economy.
“This is part of our ongoing sustainability commitment, as we look to enable more packaging to become 100 percent recyclable or reusable, in line with the 2025 National Packaging Targets. By partnering with saveBOARD, we’re showing that innovation in recycling comes in many forms, and consumers can see first-hand how they can contribute to a more sustainable future,” Mr Pooch said.
For further information, contact:
Flavia Vaz, Head of Public Affairs and Government Relations at Tetra Pak
Email: flavia.vaz@tetrapak.com
