As part of the COP27 events: The declaration of First Egyptian Pact for Used Beverage Cartons With participation of Tetra Pak, Uniboard, Beyti, Juhayna

Cairo, Egypt, 12 November 2022: during COP27 Tetra Pak, world’s leading food processing and packaging solutions company, Beyti, one of the largest producers of milk, juice and yoghurt in Egypt, Juhayna Food Industries, the leading Egypt-based manufacturer of dairy, juice, cooking products, and Uniboard, Africa’s leading card-board manufacturer, declared the Egyptian Pact for Used Beverage Cartons Waste.

The Egyptian Pact for Used Beverage Cartons Waste plans to bring together businesses from across the entire value chain; recyclers, collectors, producers, government, and NGOs to address the end-to-end process of a recycling of used beverage cartons. It aims to create value for the local economy by utilizing this recyclable commodity. The paper-based carton packages are already recyclable where adequate collection, sorting and recycling infrastructures are in place. This pact aims to support the establishment of this set-up i.e.: contribute to a circular economy.

The four companies commit to:  

Lead awareness-raising and educational activities with the public on the issues related to used beverage cartons segregation and collection. Work collaboratively across the value chain to enable industry-wide change in collection and recycling systems.Mobilize and align stakeholders and work towards the common vision – locally, nationally, and globally.Expand the Pact network to increase collective efforts of the entire value chain of recyclers, collectors, manufacturers, producers NGO and consumersHarness and amplify the collective skills, leadership, expertise, and capacity of Egyptian Stakeholders to advance knowledge, and catalyse innovation and new solutions.

On this occasion, Wael Khoury, Managing Director, Tetra Pak Egypt Area said, “we aim to develop a platform to support the entire value chain in driving effective collection and recycling in Egypt. The starting point was the announcing that we are joining forces with Uniboard Papermill to recycle used beverage cartons with a joint investment of €2.5 million. This plant is planned to start operations in 2023 and this pact intends to build up the feedstock ahead of time. He added, “as a global company in places where collection infrastructure is still being built up, we’re co-investing with recyclers in new equipment and facilities to increase recycling capacity.”

From his side, Sherif El Moallem, CEO of Uniboard said: “this pact among giant food producers and Tetra Pak is a necessary step in driving the collection of used beverage cartons. It also ensures that more of such materials are recycled and further contribute to a circular economy.” He added, “Uniboard is a leader in the international paper board market, and we are happy to partner with Tetra Pak to add recycling of used beverage cartons to our portfolio. This joint project is further evidence of our commitment to environmental protection and is an important milestone in our ambitious plans towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, which ranks high among our priorities.”

Mark Wyllie, CEO of Beyti, noted, “We are proud to be taking part in this pact that should unite a network of producers, collectors, suppliers, NGO. aiming at a circular economy” he added, “In Beyti our focus stretches beyond our direct operations with initiatives to reduce our packaging for consumers and investment in environmental protection schemes. Our commitments towards people and the environment are connected to 'Producing Responsible Products.' We want our consumers to lead enriched and healthy lives with access to products produced at the highest safety and environmental standards. We already took big steps in avoiding 290 ton of plastic waste annually starting 2022 and with this collaboration we will move forward on incorporating beverage cartons into a circular ecosystem.”

“In Beyti, we plan to lead educational activities on the issues related to used beverage cartons segregation and collection”

From his side, Niels Thomsen, Juhayna Food Industries CEO, noted “Juhayna monitors its sustainability journey to measure the impact of its practices on the planet, to boost the wellbeing of its people, and to ensure that its steps forward are all taken with purpose. Our journey crosses another milestone with the signature of this pact to finally have our aseptic paper recycled noting that it constitutes around 32% of our packaging material.”

Thomsen confirmed, “movement with purpose requires special attention to the wider impact of our operations, and how this impact can be used to educate and transfer knowledge across the industry. We have already taken some steps like changing our Rayeb plastic caps to environmentally friendly, plant-based caps made of sugarcane and certified to Bunsucro standards. We began to seriously look at sourcing biodegradable spouts for some of our products, furthering our commitment towards our 2030 goal of achieving 100% recyclable packaging. He added “We are also ambitious to expand the pact network to increase collective efforts of the entire value chain of recyclers, collectors, manufacturers, producers NGO and definitely the consumers.”

As a matter of fact, all parties participating in the pact have several common commitments. These include complying with laws and regulations related to used beverage carton waste, supporting WEMRA in developing further the national strategy for waste management implementation, and sharing data to support the recycling investment platform.

The four parties invite entire value chain of recyclers, collectors, manufacturers, producers NGO and consumers to join the pact for a more sustainable future.