Tetra Pak has four converting plants, one product development centre and one processing equipment factory in China. Since the beginning of this year, the company has procured renewable energy equivalent to the total electricity consumption of all these facilities, as well as its regional head office in Shanghai.
Brand explained that through purchasing International REC Standard (I-REC) certificates, which enable the purchase of renewable energy, “Tetra Pak is able to source offsite renewable electricity for its facilities in a credible way, helping the company make progress towards delivering its carbon targets.” Tetra Pak’s I-REC certificates were procured through the South Pole Group, a leading sustainability solutions provider. Jens Olejak, director of sustainable energy at South Pole Group, said Tetra Pak was showing “a real commitment to sustainable development” in a country that still lacks advanced renewable energy infrastructure, like China. Tetra Pak said it was also purchasing 100% renewable electricity for all its facilities across Sweden. This includes the use of 60 GWh of green electricity annually from wind power. Tetra Pak is incorporating more renewable electricity at its production facilities in China. The company said 35% of its electricity supply was renewable, and that this came from two wind farms: Inner Mongolia Wind and Guangdong Xinyi Wing, and a biomass project named Pizhou Biomass. According to Charles Brand, Tetra Pak’s product management and commercial operations vice-president, the company joined the global RE100 initiative last year as part of its commitment to tackle climate change. Brand said the company pledged to use 100% renewable electricity across all their operations by 2030. “This move in China, where we have the largest production footprint, is a solid step forward as we stride towards that goal,” he said.