Tetra Pak Arabia Area signs an agreement with the Saudi Top Plastic factory to recycle plastic materials

Tetra Pak Arabia Area, is a world-leading food processing and packaging solutions company, announced that it had signed an agreement last January, with the Saudi Top Plastic Factory (STP), the leading plastic recycling plant in the region, which brings with it 15 years of experience in its scope, carrying a capacity of about 50 thousand tons annually.

This partnership is the first of its kind in the Arab region, and aims at recycling the “PolyAL - Polyethylene Aluminium” materials - left over from cartons that have undergone a recycling process and have been peeled off the paper. Tetra Pak’s Arabia Area vision revolves around operating its packaging and packing processes within the framework of a circular economy using renewable materials from sustainable and recyclable sources. Tetra Pak cartons are primarily made from paper. 75% of the Tetra Pak carton is made from cardboard, 20% of polyethylene (Poly AL), and 5% of aluminum. These three materials are layered together using heat and pressure to form a six-layered armor which protects the contents from light, and heat, which are factors in spoiling the food & beverages inside the packages, and thus the Tetra Pak technology leads to better protection and preservation of goods for a longer period, as well as preventing liquid leakage.

According to this agreement, polyethylene and aluminum resulting from recycling operations will be collected and recycled by the Saudi Top Plastic Factory (STP), a Saudi company based in Riyadh, with extensive experience in the field of plastic recycling of more than 15 years. The company produces finished products, 100% made in Saudi Arabia from more than thirty plastic materials, to which polyethylene and aluminum will be added.

This agreement is the second of its kind that Tetra Pak has undertaken in the Arab region with companies involved in recycling operations in the Kingdom, to recycle paper from used cardboard packages. The first agreement took place in 2008 with the Obeikan Paper Industries (OPI), to collect and recycle used cardboard packages, so that the pulp resulting from this process would be used in the manufacturing of their final products such as tissue boxes, toothpaste boxes, and biscuit boxes, and the list goes on.

“To maintain our core values, we always take into consideration and prioritize the broader impact of the work we do on the environment and societies. This confirms our firm belief that our responsibility does not end when we sell our packaging materials, as societies cannot afford the costs and consequences of giving up on valuable resources", said Niels Hougaard, the Managing Director of Tetra Pak Arabia Area & Cluster Leader Sales Management GMEA.

“It is extremely important to ensure the existence of sustainable value chains for recycling so that all stakeholders realize that cardboard packages are recyclable and are practically recycled. Our investment in recycling is an investment in our future”, Said Hussam Nasser, Sustainability Manager Arabia Area at Tetra Pak.

Tetra Pak Arabia Area works to enhance awareness about recycling in local communities through educational programs and activities in schools, exploring new business opportunities for recycling partners based on market needs, investing in special machines for recycling with its partners in the field of recycling, and providing support for packaging collection operations. This is in addition to the issuance of several applications related to carton packaging recycling. These projects are scheduled to be launched and operational during 2021.