City vs United, Oxford vs Cambridge, paper vs plastic - there are few things better than a classic rivalry. When it comes to packaging, however, this grudge match is entering a new round, with paper-based solutions continuing to demonstrate that you don’t need to choose between convenience, safety, and sustainability.
We all know that plastic packaging poses a serious problem in terms of emissions. In 2019, greenhouse gas emissions from plastics totalled 1.79 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent – more than the entire nation of Brazil. Furthermore, according to the UN, plastic waste is predicted to triple by 2060, with only 10% of this set to be recycled.
Cartons, which contain a small amount of plastic but are largely made from paperboard, offer an effective and convenient solution to this problem. Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) research by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IFEU) at Heidelberg demonstrates that for 1liter of fresh milk, cartons contribute 77% fewer emissions than PET bottles and 45% fewer emissions than glass bottles.
This is in part due to cartons’ use of naturally renewable paperboard, which can be sourced from sustainably managed forests. Their square, foldable design also makes them more efficient to pack and transport.
Consumer goods companies have long appreciated this distinction but are now transitioning away from plastic bottles and towards cartons in ever greater numbers. In 2024 one of Lithuania’s best-known dairies, AB Žemaitijos, switched its range of organic milks from plastic bottles to Elopak’s Pure-Pak® cartons, reducing plastic usage by 80%.
Last year, Germany’s Hochwald dairy switched their Bärenmarke, Hochwald, and Tuffi brands over to Pure-Pak® cartons, resulting in 50% less plastic than their previous packaging solution and a marked decrease in carbon emissions. The shift followed an independent consumer survey in which Elopak’s cartons achieved the highest ‘willingness to buy’ score at 77%.
Nor is this shift limited to the food and beverages sector. In 2024 McBride, Europe’s leading manufacturer of cleaning and hygiene products, started packaging its Surcare brand of laundry detergent in Elopak’s D-PAK™ cartons, saving an estimated 22.7 tons of plastic annually.
“The shift from plastic bottles to cartons fits with our high impact product sustainability targets, which include reduction in the use of plastics and responsible sourcing,” explained Pavan Chandra, Surcare senior brand manager at McBride.
While the competition between paper and plastic is not yet over, the judges’ score cards are now starting to come in. When it comes to sustainability, paper-based packaging looks poised to pick up some serious prizes.
For more information, please visit www.elopak.com