Concept: Spanish milk manufacturer and distributor Central Lechera Asturiana has developed a plant-based milk packaging solution to provide a sustainable carton for customers. It uses a sustainable sugarcane-based plastic to replace unsustainable plastics in both the cap and the protective barrier around the cardboard carton. The solution is committed to the company’s goal to be carbon-neutral by 2035.
Nature of Disruption: Polymers manufactured from sugar cane from certified responsible farms are used in the containers’ plastic. It also includes a thin aluminum layer to ensure the products’ preservation in hot environments. To limit its carbon footprint as much as possible, the milk cartons with caps are constructed from sugar cane which is farmed sustainably to lower CO2 emissions. It aims to combat the greenhouse effect and environmental degradation by limiting the use of fossil fuels. The plastic in the cap and portion of the layers also helps to keep the products fresh in their plant-based packaging. It uses CO2-reducing and forest stewardship council (FSC) certified crops for both its cardboard and sugarcane. It is estimated that by switching to sustainable packaging, the business’s carbon footprint could decrease by 20% from manufacturing to distribution.
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Outlook: Central Lechera Asturiana boasts to be the first Spanish dairy firm to receive the B CORP seal. It is also the first company in Spain to have its ‘Circular Economy Strategy’ and ‘Carbon Neutrality’ certified at its facilities. And also the first dairy company to be certified as ‘Zero Waste’. The company plans to bring carbon neutrality across all product lines by providing a solution for 30% of its items without cardboard carton packaging. Because these products are supplied in plastic jugs and bottles. Central Lechera Asturiana is researching plastic alternatives, such as sugarcane, to replace these unsustainable items and become Spain’s first carbon-neutral milk distributor.
This article was originally published in Verdict.co.uk
