Through the industry’s 2030 Roadmap, ACE (The Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment) says its members have adopted an ambitious vision for 2030 and beyond: to deliver the most sustainable packaging for resilient food supply systems, which is renewable, climate positive and circular.
As part of the Roadmap, ACE says the packaging industry is committed to developing and annually reviewing the Design for Recycling (DfR) Guidelines that will provide producers of beverage cartons with technical guidance to identify the materials needed in the packaging composition that are compatible with existing recycling processes and how the recyclability of beverage cartons can be optimised.
The guidelines are based on “expert judgement” and consultation with targeted stakeholders including recyclers, waste management operators, and technology providers, ACE says.
ACE continues that the guidelines are complementary to the published 4evergreen DfR Guidelines for standard recycling processes and will feed into the upcoming 4evergreen Guidelines for enhanced processes (specialised recycling plants).
The Design for Recycling Guidelines are a sound basis to define the recyclability of packaging.
ACE says it provides a European platform for beverage carton manufacturers and their paperboard suppliers to benchmark and profile beverage cartons as a safe, circular and sustainable packaging solution with low-carbon benefits. ACE members include beverage carton producers Tetra Pak, SIG Combibloc, and Elopak.
Director General of ACE, Annick Carpentier, said: “Beverage cartons are recycled throughout the EU.
“By providing guidelines on the material composition of beverage cartons and how they should be designed for recycling, the industry continues to show its commitment to increasing the recyclability of beverage cartons.
“The Design for Recycling Guidelines are a sound basis to define the recyclability of packaging.”