This is a world first for Tetra Pak's paper-based barrier. South Korean soymilk producer Maeil Dairies becomes the first to use this packaging material on a Tetra Pak A3/Speed filling line.
Until now, the paper barrier beverage pack, launched in 2023, has been operated on other configurations. Its switch to A3/Speed changes the scale: the Tetra Pak A3/Speed aseptic line can reach the high output of 24âeuros000Â packs per hour.
This industrial application also demonstrates that existing Tetra Pak A3/Speed filling lines can be easily adapted thanks to a high-frequency induction sealing system, which Tetra Pak claims is a low-cost investment.
Tetra Pak's paper barrier replaces the aluminum layer of the traditional laminate. The structure is thus reduced from three to two main components.
Combined with plant-based polymers in the inner layers, the food brick achieves 87% renewable materials and reduces its carbon footprint by 26% compared with an equivalent aseptic package incorporating aluminum, according to Carbon Trust calculations.
"For recycling infrastructures, this maximizes the recovery of paper content when recycling food bricks, providing high-quality fiber and non-fiber fractions, explains the food-brick giant. What's more, by combining a paper-based barrier with plant-based polymers in the material coatings, the renewable content of the packaging is maximized, and reducing the packaging's carbon footprint."
