Lithuanian dairy swaps plastic bottles for cartons

One of the most prominent dairies in Lithuania has changed the packaging for fresh organic milk from plastic bottles to Pure-Pak® cartons.  

Pure-Pak® carton packaging for AB Žemaitijos pienas products is delivered by Elopak, the world’s leading manufacturer of sustainable packaging.  

“We are happy to be able to support our client AB Žemaitijos pienas with attractive and environmentally friendly solutions for many years. By working closely together and using creative fiber-based packaging solutions, we can help package their dairy products in a safe, convenient, and more environmentally friendly way and improve the world. “

Juha Oksanen, Managing Director Elopak Finland and Baltics.  

Tens of tons of plastic lowered per year 

There are likely no Lithuanians who have never tasted AB Žemaitijos pienas dairy products. Thus, there might be queries about the change of packaging. 

The Pure-Pak® carton has numerous benefits and is “friendly” to nature and consumers. Plastic waste is one of the most critical problems today. It is calculated that people worldwide buy about one million plastic bottles every minute. One of the most practical ways to decrease plastic usage is to make packaging from fiber-based alternatives. AB Žemaitijos pienas also chose this path. 

The customer has estimated that switching to Pure-Pak® cartons from plastic bottles will enable the company to reduce the amount of plastic by 80%.

The company has also assessed that if the current milk bottle packaging is changed to be more environmentally friendly, the quantity of plastic consumed per year will decrease drastically. For example, the average sales of 1-liter packaging for “Clover” Organic milk with 2.5% fat are expected to reduce plastic by almost 24 tons per year.  

In addition, switching the packaging of another product, the famous “Žemaitija long-standing traditions” milk (3.2% fat), is estimated to decrease the amount of plastic by an additional 49 tons per year. 

More sustainable packaging a gift to nature & consumers 

The Pure-Pak® carton is one of the world’s most popular packaging for milk and other drinks and the leading type of packaging for dairy products in Europe. The cartons are made from renewable materials that are fully recyclable where facilities exist. The raw materials for the packaging are obtained from sustainably managed forests. In this way, it is ensured that more trees grow in the forest than are cut down. 

Studies have shown fiber packaging has a lower carbon footprint than plastic and glass bottles. Pure-Pak® cartons also have excellent protective properties (for example, protection from light) that ensure a longer product shelf life.* 

Companies like AB Žemaitijos pienas are constantly looking for ways to help protect the environment and further improve the quality of products for consumers. The Pure-Pak® cardboard packaging is a significant step towards a more sustainable future.