Tetra Pak advances localization, circularity in South Africa with strategic investments

SOUTH AFRICA – Global food processing and packaging leader Tetra Pak is accelerating its sustainability and localization agenda in South Africa through major facility upgrades, deeper recycling partnerships, and the development of innovative packaging solutions.

These initiatives were spotlighted during a media tour of Tetra Pak’s operations in KwaZulu-Natal, underlining the company’s commitment to driving circularity and reducing environmental impact in the region.

A cornerstone of Tetra Pak’s efforts is its R500-million revamp of the Pinetown packaging facility in 2023.

This upgrade not only significantly increased local production capacity, enabling the company to now meet 80–90% of domestic aseptic packaging demand, but also reduced reliance on imports, shortening delivery lead times from 60 days to just 14.

It has also allowed Tetra Pak to proudly carry the Proudly South African mark on its packaging, a valuable distinction for local consumers and partners.

The shift to local manufacturing has brought significant environmental benefits, including reduced carbon emissions due to lower transportation distances and improved logistics efficiency by transitioning from shipping to trucking.

A major highlight of the tour was the strategic recycling partnership between Tetra Pak and Mpact Recycling, part of the Mpact Group.

Their collaboration has enabled the large-scale recycling of Tetra Pak’s liquid board packaging (LBP) cartons through a custom-built hydropulper at Mpact’s Springs paper mill.

With LBP cartons comprising roughly 75% paper board, the hydropulper extracts the fibre for reuse in industrial packaging, marking a significant milestone in post-consumer carton recycling.

The partnership extends to the Bridge City facility, a 17,000 m² Mpact site operational since 2022, which collects, sorts, and bales paper, plastic, cardboard, and glass.

With a national network of over 150 dealers and 14 Mpact branches, the alliance provides the infrastructure to collect millions of cartons annually, 80% of which are retrieved by the informal sector.

Tetra Pak has responded by offering performance-based incentives to improve earnings for waste pickers and support a more inclusive recycling value chain.

Tetra Pak’s Sub-Saharan Africa Sustainability Head, Masale Manoko, highlighted several innovations being pursued: paper straws, tethered caps, and the reduction of aluminium layers in LBP cartons, all aimed at increasing recyclability.

The company is also investing R15 million into a facility to process polyAl (a byproduct of LBP recycling) into durable outdoor furniture and construction materials.

With national legislation increasingly encouraging producer accountability and recycling metrics, Tetra Pak is positioning itself as a sustainability leader.

Its integrated approach, combining local manufacturing, inclusive recycling networks, and cutting-edge R&D, supports a resilient, low-carbon future for South Africa’s packaging industry.

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