Tetra Pak to develop paper straws for its portion-size carton packages

Switzerland-based Tetra Pak has announced its plans to develop a paper straw that is suitable for its portion-sized carton packages before the end of 2018. The company says the move is part of a broader program to help address the issue of plastic straw waste.

Straws play an integral functional role on portion packages, Tetra Pak says, but if not properly disposed of, they then become part of the plastics waste problem. The company says it has been working to encourage consumers to push straws “back in the pack” once empty, so they can be collected along with the rest of the package. Tetra Pak says work is underway to develop a paper straw that is suitable for use on its portion-size carton packages.

“It sounds simple enough,” says Charles Brand, executive vice president, product management and commercial operations. “But in reality, there are a number of significant challenges to producing a paper straw with the required properties.”

“That said, our development team is confident they can find a solution, and that we’ll have a paper straw alternative ready to launch by the end of the year,” Brand continues.

On average, Tetra Pak packages are about 75 percent paperboard. The company says paper straws would be another step toward the its long-term goal of offering a completely renewable portfolio.

Tetra Pak is the one of the world’s leading food processing and packaging solutions company.

The company is part of the Carton Council, which formed in 2009 to increase recycling of cartons used to package many food and beverage products, such as milk, juice, water, soups, broth, wine and beans. The Carton Council is composed of Elopak, with U.S. offices in Wixom, Michigan; SIG Combibloc, Chester, Pennsylvania; Evergreen Packaging, Memphis, Tennessee; and Tetra Pak, as well as associate member Nippon Dynawave Packaging, Longview, Washington.