SIG and Mengniu Dairy advance carton recycling in China
Key takeaways
- SIG and Mengniu Dairy held a sustainability event at Mengniu’s Horinger factory in China to promote beverage carton collection, recycling, and circularity.
- The event showcased recycled carton applications enabled by recycling networks and technologies developed with industry partners.
- SIG is expanding its circular packaging efforts across Asia through recyclable packaging design, recycled material use, and initiatives.
On the occasion of the fourth China National Ecology Day, SIG and Mengniu Dairy held a sustainability-themed event at Mengniu’s Horinger factory in Hohhot, China, to promote carton recycling.
The event showcased examples of products made from discarded beverage cartons, including stationery, everyday household items, and office supplies. The products were made possible through local collection networks and recycling technologies jointly developed by SIG and its upstream and downstream partners.
“SIG will continue to place technological innovation at the heart of its efforts, further advancing sustainable packaging solutions and supporting the green transformation of the entire value chain,” says the company.
“We will deepen our strategic partnership with Mengniu Dairy while also looking forward to collaborating with more industry partners to explore new possibilities in areas such as low-carbon packaging, recycling systems, and the use of recycled materials.”
Expanding carton circularity
SIG is improving packaging design for recyclability while supporting the development of collection and recycling systems in China.
The company says it integrates circularity across the entire packaging life cycle, from optimizing material structures at the design stage to providing technical support for sorting and reprocessing after collection.
This week, Packaging Insights spoke to SIG about how the company utilizes packaging material innovations to transform dairy packaging by reducing carbon footprint and environmental impact.
The company is also advancing its recycling initiatives for dairy packaging while expanding its presence across other Asian markets.
Earlier this year, the company expanded its “Recycle for Good” program to Vietnam, providing an education-led model for carton collection and recycling in Bac Ninh. The initiative was developed to encourage the collection of empty milk cartons at preschools and primary schools.
Last year, SIG provided Seoul Dairy Cooperative (SDC) with aluminum-layer-free full barrier aseptic carton packs that are recognized as recyclable under South Korea’s recyclability grading system. SDC was said to be the first company in the country to launch products in full-barrier aseptic carton packaging material without an aluminum layer.
Beyond Asia, SIG’s DomeMini 12 Aseptic filling line recently had its first commercial use in Europe. SalzburgMilch, a dairy company based in Austria, launched milk products in SIG’s DomeMini on-the-go carton bottle.
