March 23, 2018

76% recycling rate in Germany

Approximately 175,000 tonnes of beverage cartons are produced for the German market every year. This equates to an amount of approx. 2 kilograms per capita per year.
Since the introduction of the Dual Systems framework (1991), almost 3 million tonnes of beverage cartons have been recycled.
This has been achieved through numerous activities by beverage carton manufacturers on a national and international scale. In addition to the promotion of innovative recycling processes, collection and sorting of used beverage cartons throughout Europe has steadily improved.

Ambitious – but achievable

An ambition that pays off! And with the new packaging law coming into force in the coming year, a separate rate for beverage cartons has been fixed. By 2022 at the latest, a recycling rate of 80% is compulsory.

The 7 Lives of Pure-Pak® cartons:

For paper recycling, the long and tear-resistant cellulose fibers of our beverage cartons are optimally suited. As a result of their high quality, these can be recycled up to 6 times. New boxes for pizza, eggs or shoes can be made from the used beverage cartons.

Recycling - How it works!

Beverage cartons are comprehensively covered by the Dual Systems collecting containers: In the sorting facilities, they are seperated from other valuable substances into their own section using an infrared scanner with a high degree of sorting accuracy
In the recycling plants, the first step is to crush the packaging.
IThe chopped-up material dissolves in the 30-metre long metal cylinder, with a diameter of 3 metres. The paper seperates from the aluminium PE coating and the symthetic closures - completely natural and without chemicals.
The pulp is pushed through the small holes in the drum wall, cleaned, thickened and pumped into the paper machine.
After just two and a half hours, the pulp is seperate again and available for reuse, for example in pizza and shoe boxes or egg cartons.
What is left:

Plastic and aluiminium can be used as fuel
Plastic can be used for the production of new plastic products
Aluminium can be used as a hardening agend in ceement

Beverage carton recycling companies in Germany

In Germany, ReCarton, a 100% subsidiary of the Fachverband Kartonverpackungen für flüssige Nahrungsmittel e.V. (FKN - the trade association focused on carton packaging for liquid food products), functions as a contractor for the nine Dual Systems companies now in existence.
ReCarton signs recycling contracts with paper factories and takes responsibility for the management of logistics as well as the delivery of “volume flow records” to state ministries for environmental protection.
Recyclingbetriebe Deutschland ReCarton
Standorte Recyclingbetriebe
Pure-Pak® Sense Website
Beverage Carton Recycling Video
Délice Tunesia
Product:
Pure-Pak® Sense Aseptic

Délice is launching two new functional juices in 750 ml Pure-Pak® Sense Aseptic cartons. The packaging optimally protects the apple nectar with cereal fibre and the multi-fruit nectar with magnesium.

The Real Milkshake UK
Product:
Pure-Pak® Sense Aseptic

By switching from our Pure-Pak® Classic to Pure-Pak® Sense Aseptic cartons, The Real Milkshake Company can offer its delicious, local milkshakes in an even more sustainable way. The carton contains 70 per cent less plastic than a standard plastic milk bottle of comparable size.

Boxed Water™ USA
Product:
Pure-Pak® Classic

Boxed Water™ has teamed up with Universal to create exclusive new designs for our 500ml Pure-Pak® mini cartons. They feature the popular dinosaurs from the Jurassic World universe – a real eye-catcher.

Arla Germany
Product:
Pure-Pak® Sense

The dairy cooperative Arla is launching a new milk brand under the name Arla Æ.K.T® that stands for climate protection and animal welfare. The milk is packaged in our particularly sustainable natural brown 1 litre Pure-Pak® Sense cartons.