Swedish food processing and packaging company Tetra Pak has announced the sale of more than 20 billion of its packages globally during 2012, which carried the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) label.
The label certifies that the paperboard used for the packaging material comes from responsibly managed forests and other controlled sources. In 2012, Tetra Pak sold 8.5 billion packages with FSC labels.
FSC business development director Marcelle Peuckert said, "By displaying FSC labelling on their packages, Tetra Pak is helping raise awareness of the important role that responsible forest management plays in assuring the economic, social and environmental viability of one of the earth's richest resources."
Sainsbury's launched the first carton with the FSC certification label in the UK in 2007. At present, retailers and brand owners in 39 countries including China, the US, Canada, across South America and throughout Europe are using the labels.
Tetra Pak claims that about 75% of its packaging material comes from renewable sources and the used beverage cartons are fully recyclable.
Besides, the packages shape, its material composition and low weight as well as its transport, storage and distribution systems result in low CO2 impact.