Fazer renews its beverage containers ahead of schedule to comply with EU requirements – caps will be connected to beverage containers
According to the EU directive regarding the reduction of plastic products’ environmental impacts, plastic caps must be connected to beverage containers in future. The requirement will enter into effect in July 2024, but the change will be introduced to the packaging of Fazer’s plant-based drinks and cooking products already in early 2023. Fazer is systematically developing its product packaging in a more environmentally friendly direction.
Fazer will update new caps meeting the directive’s requirements to all of its cartons with plastic caps. The changes will be carried out in 2023 gradually to most of the packages.
“The new caps are extremely easy to use: you can conveniently close the cap by pressing it. We will also renew the recycling markings on our packaging within this year,” says Marketing Director Maija Hellman from Fazer Lifestyle Foods’ Non-Dairy unit.
In a consumer survey conducted by Fazer1), almost 70 per cent of respondents said that they prefer a product package with a cap to one without a cap. A package with a cap also decreases food waste at home because an air-tight cap keeps scents and flavours out of the package. One alternative for meeting the requirements would be to completely remove caps from beverage containers, but Fazer did not choose this alternative because the company listens carefully to consumers.
The new types of caps connected to cartons do not have to be removed when the packaging is sorted for recycling at home. The recycling plant soaks cardboard packages in water, after which cardboard, plastic, and aluminium come apart and can be sorted separately. Recycled cardboard is used for new products, such as paperboard cores and corrugated cardboard.
“Currently, the plastic separated from cardboard packaging is used in Finland to produce energy, but the future goal is that this plastic, too, could be used to create new plastic products,” says Kim Nordström, Marketing Manager at Tetra Pak. Tetra Pak provides the cartons used for Fazer’s oat drinks.
At Fazer, the choices and decision-making related to sustainable packaging is guided by the company’s Sustainable packaging vision. All product packaging is designed according to the principles of the circular economy, and for example the cap renewal has required investments in packaging machines. In line with its Sustainable packaging vision, Fazer promotes the use of recyclable, reusable, and renewable packaging materials and develops new environmentally friendly packages. The purpose of a product packaging it to protect the food product and improve its shelf life. By selecting the right materials, Fazer can thus also contribute on minimising food waste.
1) Consumer survey carried out in the MyFazer community, November 2021. N=1,908
Background information:
The directive on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment (2019/904), or the SUP directive, aims to decrease plastic litter in the environment, especially on seashores, promote the circular economy, and harmonise product regulation in the internal EU market. In the EU area, approximately 80 per cent of litter on seashores is plastic. In Finland, a major part of the plastic products within the scope of the SUP directive is already within the waste management system and utilised.
The first stage of the directive entered into force in July 2021 when plastic spoons, lids, and straws were banned from single-use products. The requirement on connected caps will enter into force on 3 July 2024, and it will apply to all beverage containers with a capacity of up to three litres, including milk and juice cartons. Plastic caps must remain connected to the beverage container throughout the use.
Source: https://ym.fi/tiettyjen-muovituotteiden-ymparistovaikutusten-vahentamista-koskeva-direktiivi-ukk
Images for editorial use:
https://fast.fazer.com/l/mKGDbQWqx8HT
Further information:
Anniina Niemistö, VP, Communications, Fazer Lifestyle Foods, anniina.niemisto@fazer.com, +358 40 674 4672
Fazer serves the media by phone Mon–Fri from 8 am to 4 pm, tel. +358 40 6682 998 and at media@fazer.com
Developing and using more sustainable packaging materials
Caring for the well-being of people and the environment is part of Fazer's heritage and future. Our ambition is to be an innovative leader in whatever we do. We promote recyclable, reusable, and renewable packaging materials in accordance with our Sustainable Packaging Vision. We reduce usage of packaging materials while ensuring the high quality of our products. We develop new environmentally friendly packaging. By choosing the right materials we minimize food waste. We have identified our main development areas and defined clear goals and indicators for them. For us, sustainability is a journey towards a better tomorrow.
Fazer Group
Fazer, The Food Experience Company, enables people to enjoy the best moments of their day. Our mission, Food with a purpose, builds on our strong 130-year heritage, consumer first approach and innovations to create the sustainable food solutions of the future. With our dedicated team of approximately 6,000 professionals, we focus on fast-moving consumer goods and our direct-to-consumer business in Northern Europe, and beyond with exports to some 40 different countries. Fazer’s operations comply with its Code of Conduct that is based on the Group’s values and the UN Global Compact. In 2021, Fazer Group had net sales of 1.1 billion euros.
Northern Magic. Made Real.
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