INDIA – Multinational food packaging and processing company Tetra Pak, has launched India’s first-ever locally manufactured holographic packaging material.  

The innovative packaging, called Tetra Pak Reflect, has been launched in partnership with local dairy cooperative Warana which will use it for their 1 liter Ghee (clarified butter) packs. 

The artistic package produced at Tetra Pak’s manufacturing site in Chakan, Maharashtra is designed to help food and beverage brands add a new eye-catching dimension to their packs.  

The new packaging also hopes to address the problem of food adulteration, especially edible oil and Ghee which has become rampant in India.  

With the increasing demand for Ghee, malpractices like counterfeiting are creating quality concerns among consumers. 

Mohan Yedurkar, managing director, Warana Dairy, said, “Warana Ghee is made from the best quality milk, with very good aroma and flavour. 

The Tetra Pak carton package protects the goodness of the ghee and is also tamper evident, that helps minimise chances of adulteration and counterfeit.” 

Tetra Pak lobbies for cartons to be part of the deposit return scheme  

Meanwhile, in the UK, Tetra Pak is lobbying for the addition of cartons into the deposit return scheme that the government plans to introduce to increase recycling rates in the country.  

The introduction of DRS in the UK  would see a small charge added to the price of drinks, with the money refunded when the bottle or can is recycled. 

 Similar schemes are already in operation in 40 regions worldwide, where it has been shown DRS achieves high rates of separate collection at around 90%. 

Speaking in the House of Commons, Environment Minister Jo Churchill said that she would ‘not rule out’ this broader approach to DRS.  

The Minister was responding to a question from Conservative MP Steve Baker, whose constituency is home to carton maker Tetra Pak and who suggested the DRS should go the ‘extra step’ to include additional beverage packaging. 

Apart from reducing the carbon footprint of producers, DRS offers producers the advantage of access to high-quality recycled packaging.  

This is important because currently, packaging manufacturers face a supply challenge when it comes to securing materials that are both recycled and food grade.  

A DRS that includes items like juice cartons would effectively provide the beverage sector – and packaging companies like Tetra Pak – with a reliable source of recycled material that meets high quality and safety standards. 

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