In what it is describing as a groundbreaking initiative, multinational carton packaging producer, Tetra Pak (Lausanne / Switzerland; www.tetrapak.com) will soon begin using bio-based LDPE, made from sugar cane, as a component of all packaging produced in Brazil. Thermoplastic resins producer Braskem (São Paulo / Brazil; www.braskem.com.br) also plays an important role in the project as it will be the supplier of the bio-based LDPE, it was recently announced.

For Tetra Pak, this means that all of its packages produced in Brazil, estimated by the company to be about 13 bn, will now contain up to 82% packaging material from renewable sources. Initially, the scope will be limited to Brazil, which the Swiss-based company sees as a "trial" phase and it is scheduled to commence during the first quarter of 2014.

According to joint media statement, Braskem will have the task of producing and supplying the LDPE made using sugar cane. The company utilises ethanol derived from the cane to produce ethylene, which it will then convert into LDPE. Not only does the bio-based LDPE have the same technical properties as the product made from fossil sources, but it also has all of the environmental benefits of coming from a renewable source, says the Brazilian company claiming to be the world's largest producer of biopolymers. "The new bio-based LDPE...contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during the sugar cane growth process," explained Carlos Fadigas, president at Braskem.

This is not Tetra Pak's first foray into utilising sugar cane as a packaging material. In 2011, the company claims it was the first liquid food supplier to make use of bio-based plastic in its products, when it launched its "StreamCap 1000" brand for sealing milk containers for the Brazilian market, also partnering with Braskem – see Plasteurope.com from 04.08.2013.