Tetra Pak has announced its ‘Approach to Nature,’ a comprehensive framework aimed at halting and reversing nature loss while enhancing water security. This initiative is part of the company’s efforts to align with global targets, including those in the Biodiversity Plan, ahead of the United Nations’ International Day of Biodiversity on 22 May.
The ‘Approach to Nature’ includes 25 targets across Tetra Pak’s value chain. Among these are commitments to sourcing 100% of raw materials from certified or controlled sources by 2025 and ensuring high water-impact suppliers report on water use and quality. Additionally, the company aims to eliminate waste-to-landfill from its production sites by 2030 and reduce water use in best practice processing lines by 50% compared to 2019 levels.
Gilles Tisserand, Vice President of Climate & Biodiversity at Tetra Pak, emphasized the urgency of these actions, noting, “With over half of the world’s GDP heavily reliant on nature, the stakes could not be higher. Our ‘Approach to Nature’ reflects our commitment to environmental stewardship and builds on our longstanding action in this domain.”
A report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) highlights the unprecedented rate of nature deterioration, largely due to human activity. Global food systems are major contributors to this decline, impacting economies, livelihoods, and food security.
Tetra Pak’s new framework seeks to manage the company’s impact on nature and support ecosystem restoration. It also aims to enhance global water resilience by addressing local water challenges and reducing negative impacts on water resources.
In 2022, Tetra Pak signed the Business for Nature coalition’s COP15 business statement, urging governments to adopt the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework’s Target 15. This target requires large companies to assess and disclose their impacts on biodiversity and promote sustainable consumption.
Eva Zabey, CEO of Business for Nature, praised Tetra Pak’s initiative, stating, “Tetra Pak’s ‘Approach to Nature’ marks an important milestone, emphasising how the corporate world must step up to support the ambitious targets of the Biodiversity Plan. We encourage all companies to set a nature strategy and work towards a nature-positive future by 2030.”
This initiative underscores Tetra Pak’s ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability and its role in fostering a nature-positive future.