Tetra Recart presents alternative packaging for canned products

Tetra Recart is a great example of Tetra Pak’s forward thinking when it comes to innovation in the food and beverage industry. Food & Beverage Industry News reports.

Tetra Pak has been servicing the food and beverage industry for seven decades with the founder’s belief, ”a package should save more than it costs’”, at the forefront of everything it does.

Tetra Recart, is a perfect alternative packaging solution for cans in the modern food and beverage industry, which is moving towards more sustainable packaging.

Jaymie Pagdato, Marketing Director for Tetra Pak in Oceania, said the Tetra Recart provided benefits right down the production line, for both consumers and retailers.

“The first category that Tetra Pak started was in milk and it is fair to say that over the last seven decades, Tetra Pak has been known mostly in the juice and milk categories, but to really promote sustainability and climate change we have to look at other categories where Tetra Pak can help,” she said.

“Tetra Recart offers benefits along the value chain, such as cost efficiency, strong environmental performance and added convenience.

“It has been around for more than a decade, but it is new to Oceania and in the past few years we have increased our efforts to promote this packaging solution for food.” found strong support in overseas markets such as Europe and the United States.

“You don’t need a can opener and there are no risks around sharp edges.

“The Tetra Recart is also the first retortable carton package designed for shelf-stable products, meaning you cook the product within the pack thanks to the unique structure of the packaging.

Which is the same method as canning, but in the Tetra Recart packaging.

“If you look at other regions around the world you see Tetra Recart being used more in staple categories,” said Pagdato.

“It gives brand owners a way to innovate within the category and we are conscious innovation isn’t with the packaging alone but also with modernising or giving a new variety or different concoctions.

“There are also well-known brands and meal delivery options using Tetra Recart here in Australia.”

Pagdato said the sustainability benefits of Tetra Recart were felt by manufacturers, producers, consumers, retailers, warehousing, and logistics.

“What’s unique is the benefit of sustainability, it has up to six times lower carbon footprint compared to cans, and for consumers it’s much easier to open and mitigates any associated safety risks.

So far, Tetra Recart can be applied to nine separate categories in the food and beverage industry including vegetables, soups, beans, baked beans, tomatoes, ready meals, sauces, pet food, baby food and fruits

“And we continue working to increase that,” added Pagdato.

Meanwhile, Tetra Recart has also

One such brand is the iconic Rosella, which recently relaunched its range of soups in Tetra Recart, instead of its traditional cans.

“We are so pleased Rosella was the first brand in the Australian market to make the switch to Tetra Recart packages,” said Pagdato.

Tetra Pak works closely with customers throughout the innovation journey from concept to commercialisation.

“We also have product development centres for small scale trials so customers can see how their product works in this packaging,” said Pagdato.

“In total, we have 10 product development centres and at least two of those can accommodate Tetra Recart packaging, so we can trial the product there for our customers.

Feedback from customers who have adopted Tetra Recart has been positive, Pagdato said, and further consumer research backs up the innovation.

“We did Australian based research around consumer’s home use,” she added.

“We sent tomato and soup in cans and in Tetra Recart, it was quantitative research, they would put their observations down for us to compile.

“From a taste perspective, tin cans can sometimes impact the taste associated with the product. However, the research did not find that happened with Tetra Recart. Meaning the packaging has no impact on the taste.”

The functionality of Tetra Recart is another of its benefits, with a perforated seam making it easy to open and reclose.

“With functionality, it is easy to open with the perforation, there is no need for a can opener, or scissors. All you need is your hands,” said Pagdato.

“Also, they are easy to ship, and stack because of its rectangular shape.”

“When compared to cans or glass jars, Tetra Recart allows for 30 per cent more product on shelf” said Pagdato.

“With Tetra Recart the shelf tray ensures the front of the pack is showing so there is no need to fix the product on the shelf.

Some sectors, such as e-commerce and meal delivery have helped Tetra Recart gain a strong foothold in the industry.

“The uptake of e-commerce and meal delivery, two trends which are helping drive the adoption of Tetra Recart,” said Pagdato.

“If you compare it to a can or a glass jar, the packaging is much lighter. This creates another sustainability benefit, but you also have the weight benefit helping with efficiency, cost, and carbon footprint.”

Tetra Recart also adheres to APCO’s 2025 targets and stipulations around recyclability of packaging.

“APCO’s 2025 targets talk about recyclability, here in Australia that is defined by access to collection. We have our public affairs and sustainability teams working with councils, Federal, and State governments, to help increase the collection of cartons in food and beverage cartons.

“We have also launched our partnership through saveBOARD, and we have a local facility for recycling.

“So empty cartons are turned into a useful resource for the building industry.

In terms of APCO and recyclable targets, we work towards that.”

Located in Warragamba, Sydney’s southwest, the new $5.5 million facility has the capacity to process up to 4,000 tonnes of materials annually and employ up to 12 local staff to operate the plant.

The facilities construction was also supported by the Australian Government’s Recycling Modernisation Fund and the NSW Government’s Waste Less, Recycle More initiative.

The facility is the first of its kind in Australia to manufacture construction products entirely from used beverage cartons that would otherwise end up in landfill.

The sturdy and lightweight alternative to conventional plasterboard, plywood or particle board is also 100 per cent recyclable. This was a driving force behind Tetra Pak’s involvement.

The government funding and support of the project was also another strong indication that the future of the space is expected to continue to grow in Australia, particularly off the back of new, sustainability, environmental, and efficiency targets.

Tetra Pak’s foodpro stand will be made from saveBOARD, both to support the company’s commitment to sustainability, and to show off the viability of the product as a building material.

Tetra Recart will also be on display at Tetra Pak’s foodpro stand. Visitors to the Tetra Pak stand will be able to sample a variety of products packaged in Tetra Recart as well as learn more about their end-to-end solutions in the food category. F