Tetra Pak Expands Long-Term Sustainability Strategy with New Paper-Based Barrier Pilot Facility in Sweden

Tetra Pak site in Lund, Sweden

(IN BRIEF) Tetra Pak is investing €60 million in a new paper-based barrier pilot plant at its Lund, Sweden facility to accelerate the development of next-generation aseptic packaging materials. The innovation replaces the aluminium foil layer with a paper-based barrier, increasing renewable content to up to 92 percent and reducing carbon footprint by as much as 43 percent when combined with plant-based polymers. The pilot plant will support faster development, customer collaboration, and manufacturing insights, while contributing to Tetra Pak’s wider commitment to invest around €100 million annually in sustainable packaging solutions through 2030.

(PRESS RELEASE) LAUSANNE, 27-Jan-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — Tetra Pak is advancing the next generation of sustainable food packaging with a €60 million investment in a new pilot plant dedicated to its paper-based barrier technology at the company’s facility in Lund, Sweden. The investment is designed to accelerate the development and industrialisation of an innovative aseptic packaging material that replaces the traditional aluminium foil layer with a paper-based alternative.

The new solution significantly increases the renewable content of aseptic beverage cartons. By raising the paper content to around 80 percent and, when combined with plant-based polymers, increasing traceable renewable content to as much as 92 percent, the new structure can reduce the carton’s carbon footprint by up to 43 percent. The simplified material composition—moving from three primary materials to two, paper and polymers—is also expected to deliver advantages for recycling systems by improving paper fibre recovery and supporting the production of high-quality fibre and non-fibre fractions.

To support the scaling of this technology, the new pilot plant in Lund will enable faster development cycles and provide customers with end-to-end insights into the new material across the full manufacturing journey. This includes barrier creation, packaging material production, and filled package manufacturing, allowing customers to better understand performance, processing, and future commercial potential.

Lund was selected as the location for the pilot plant due to its strong links to materials research and development, established collaboration with Lund University, and access to advanced testing infrastructure at the MAX IV Laboratory. These capabilities are expected to play a key role in refining the paper-based barrier and supporting further innovation.

The pilot plant investment forms part of Tetra Pak’s broader commitment to invest approximately €100 million per year through to 2030 in sustainable packaging development. This long-term programme reflects the company’s ambition to create the world’s most sustainable food package, balancing renewable material use, recyclability, low carbon impact, and food safety.

Tetra Pak first introduced an aseptic beverage carton with a paper-based barrier in 2023, in collaboration with a Portuguese dairy producer. The solution set a new benchmark for sustainable aseptic packaging and was recognised with the Resource Efficiency award at the Sustainable Packaging News Awards 2024. With the new pilot plant, Tetra Pak aims to accelerate customer adoption and support the broader transition to more sustainable packaging materials across the food and beverage industry.

Media contacts
Marcin Pawelec
PR Manager – Packaging
Marcin.Pawelec@tetrapak.com

¹Compared to the same reference package. Source: Carbon Trust-verified Tetra Pak ‘Carton CO2 Calculator’ model version 11 (valid from 2025-01-01). Scope: cradle-to-grave measurement of a Tetra Brik® Aseptic 200 Slim Leaf carton with plant-based polymers in coating and paper-based barrier compared to a standard Tetra Brik® Aseptic 200 Slim Leaf package with fossil-based polymers in coating and aluminium foil layer. Geography: EU Industry data.

²This means creating cartons that are fully made of renewable or recycled materials, that are responsibly sourced, thereby helping to protect and restore our planet’s climate, resources and biodiversity; contributing towards low carbon production and distribution; are convenient and safe, therefore helping to enable a resilient food system; and are fully recyclable.

ABOUT TETRA PAK
We’re here to make food safe and available. It’s why we provide advanced food production systems. In collaboration with our customers and suppliers, driven by more than 24,000 dedicated employees worldwide, we protect food sustainably every day for hundreds of millions of people in more than 160 countries. Because we’re here to fulfil a purpose: We commit to making food safe and available, everywhere, and we promise to protect what’s good: food, people and the planet. More information about Tetra Pak is available at tetrapak.com.

SOURCE: Tetra Pak