Drinking pure water – without a drop of guilt!

Generally speaking, carton-based packaging does not have a major impact on the environment, but that doesn’t excuse packaging companies from taking their environmental responsibilities seriously, nor brand owners from selecting the most environmentally-responsible type of packaging for their products, whenever possible.

‘Our prepared water is produced using premium water and reverse osmosis technology.  The result is simple – purified water with a great taste. If you’re looking for healthy water with a clean taste, then our water should be your first choice,’ reckons Tinus Pretorius, GM sales & marketing at Woodlands Dairy. ‘What’s more, our cartons are mainly made from paper, which comes from trees, but not any trees. Our cartons are made from trees sourced from well-managed forests – which means that it’s good for nature, too,’ he adds.

Comments Johan de Smidt, MD of Elopak SA, ‘Sustainability is an important part of business and Elopak recognises the packaging industry’s impact on the global climate. It’s a fact that Elopak’s main product, the carton container, has a very favourable CO2 footprint, compared to other commonly-used packaging media.

‘Elopak’s Environmental Policy states: As a leading worldwide packaging company we shall take our share of the responsibility for sustainable development,’ he continues.
‘Packaging is part of the solution for effective distribution of food and drinks, but as with all industries we need to improve our performance in order to reduce global warming, secure biodiversity and well managed forests, and ensure recycling of beverage cartons. Together with our suppliers and customers we will work to reduce the environmental impact of our products and our production processes,’ Johan insists.

‘The carton is the most environmentally-friendly packaging alternative on the market,’ he maintains. ‘It comes from a renewable source, is recyclable, and has a carbon footprint up to three times better than a plastic bottle.’
In Johan’s opinion, the environmental benefits of the beverage carton are acknowledged and it’s recognised as the most environmental-friendly packaging solution on the market today.

There are three key criteria for environmentally-sustainable packaging:

• Renewability:
  To what extent the packaging
  is based on renewable raw materials
• Low carbon footprint:
  The total carbon emissions from the packaging’s entire life cycle
• Recyclability:
  To what extent the packaging can be – and is – recycled after its original use