Tetra Pak (www.tetrapakusa.com), the world leader in food processing and packaging solutions, announces the global launch of LightCap 30, a high density polyethylene (HDPE) cap made from sugar cane.

TINE, a leading dairy producer, distributor and exporter, based in Norway, is the first brand in Europe to use these bio-based caps. Its Piano vanilla sauce, TINE iced coffee, iced tea and chocolate milk will be packaged in the Tetra Brik Aseptic Edge with bio-based LightCap 30.

“As one of Norway’s largest users of packaging, it is important that we use our resources optimally and prioritize sustainability. This is a business imperative for us. Tetra Pak’s TBA Edge, which is made from about 75% renewable resources, now comes with bio-based cap, offering us the opportunity to further enhance the environmental profile of our products,” says BjörnMalm, sustainability manager, at TINE.

The renewable polyethylene used in LightCap 30 starts out as sugar cane. The cane is crushed and the juice fermented and distilled to produce ethanol. Through a process of dehydration, ethanol is converted into ethylene, which is then polymerized to produce the polyethylene used to manufacture the cap.

“The development of the bio-based LightCap 30 is another important step towards our goal of producing a 100% renewable packaging solution. This launch demonstrates our continued commitment to environmental innovation and providing customers, retailers and consumers with the highest level of environmental performance for their packaging,” says Erik Steijger, product manager environmental innovation, Tetra Pak.

Tetra Pak has a long history of responsible environmental practices and has embarked on an ambitious environmental programme designed to deliver on the company’s ultimate aim of providing fully sustainable packaging using only renewable materials and leaving a minimal environmental footprint and zero waste.