Environmentally friendly cardboard cuts 35% of CO2 emissions

Arla’s organic milk and yogurt will receive new greener cartons. Arla is Denmark’s biggest producer of dairy products, and the world’s largest organic dairy producer. The cardboard is made of organic materials such as wood and plants, and is the market’s most environmentally friendly cardboard. This means that, together with consumers, Arla reduces CO2 emissions by 35% compared to a regular milk carton.

In 2014, Arla launched a green carton that reduced CO2 emissions by 20% compared with a traditional white milk carton. But now, an even greener cardboard is launched, the market’s most environmentally friendly cardboard box. The new carton cuts another 18% of CO2 emissions. This gives Arla a historical reduction in CO2 emissions from milk cartons.

In total, CO2 savings are 35% a year compared to a traditional white milk carton

The major CO2 savings are primarily driven by the fact that the new cartons are made of brown cardboard completely without the need for bleaching processes. This means that Arla has removed a white chalk layer from the carton, which is usually imposed when the outer layer of cardboard is bleached. The cardboard is made of natural wood and plant materials, and the cardboard lid is made of 100% bio-based plastic from, for example, sugar cane, and does not contain CO2-heavy plastic.

Green carton is part of an ambitious climate plan

The environmentally friendly carton is one of the legs in Arla’s ambition to produce the most sustainable dairy products in the world. In the climate area, the goal is that the CO2 emissions of cooperative energy by 2020 should be reduced by a quarter compared with 2005. Green cartons are an important step along the way. Both in Denmark and in the rest of the world:

“The perspective of the new green cardboard box extends far beyond Denmark’s borders. We also replace cartons on our organic products in Sweden, Finland, Germany, England and the Netherlands. And in the long term, the potential is even greater. Our goal is that all Arla milk cartons are made of natural materials by 2020, “says Jakob B. Knudsen, Country Director in Arla Denmark.

You can already now buy the new green cardboard in the supermarkets.

Source and photo credit: Arla Foods A/S