Stora Enso and Tetra Pack deploy a new €29 million carton recycling facility in Poland

Poland has recently welcomed a new €29 million recycling facility aimed at post-consumer beverage cartons, which has the potential to triple the country's average recycling capacity to an impressive 75,000 tonnes. The facility in Ostrołęka was developed by Tetra Pak and Stora Enso, two renowned packaging industry leaders.

It is capable of recycling all beverage cartons sold within Poland and its neighbouring countries. Stora Enso is responsible for separating the carton materials and repurposing the fibres into high-quality cardboard materials.

Additionally, the facility features Plastigram Industries, which collaborates with Tetra Pak to recycle the polyAl material, a mixture of plastic (polyethene) and aluminium, into new products.

This is a noble initiative to create a circular economy around the brands' flagship cartons so that a lesser amount is sent yearly to landfills, where it takes centuries to finally dissolve. Moreover, material separation is quite crucial since plastic is a non-decomposable material. The plastic being clubbed with the cardboard and a thin aluminium layer hinders the usual biodegradation process.

The EVP packaging materials at Stora Enso, Hannu Kasurinen, exclaimed: “We are very pleased to see the results of our close cooperation with Tetra Pak, who, like Stora Enso, has the development of sustainable solutions at their core.”

"This new modern solution marks a significant addition to European recycling capacity and a concrete step forward in the circularity of consumer packaging. In addition to complementing the current scope of our production site in Poland, the recycling facility will significantly contribute towards the recycling and waste reduction goals of the EU’s proposal for a Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation,” Kasurinen asserted.

As per the statements laid by the brands, Stora Enso and Tetra Pack project an amplified recycling rate after the facility is fully optimised. Both the packaging brands are extremely optimistic about this drive since it closely knit the packaging industry.

The EVP sustainability and communications at Tetra Pak, Lars Holmquist, pointed out: “This is also an excellent example of how systemic and collective actions can help keep quality renewable materials in the loop - like paper fibres from recycled cartons.”

This remarkable initiative is a testament to the beverage carton industry's commitment to achieving circularity goals in central and Eastern Europe.