Carton manufacturer Tetra Pak has today (3 February) announced the launch of a new carton sleeve with a removable and recyclable plastic top.

The Tetra Top®with Separable Top was designed to, in the words of the manufacturer, ‘offer the convenience of a bottle in a stylish carton package’ for customers buying chilled and ambient drinks, and incorporates a pre-cut perforation on the outer layer of the cardboard carton to allow easy removal of the plastic component. Following use, the carton portion can be recycled with cardboards, according to the company, while the tops can be put in with other recyclable plastics.

Charles Brand, Vice President Marketing and Product Management at Tetra Pak, said the package was created in response to “consumers’ increasing demand for better solutions to facilitate recycling, especially where waste management infrastructure calls for it”.

Companies already using the Tetra Top®with Separable Top package, such as Arla Foods, have reported that customers are reacting positively to the new design.

Ann Bergman, Senior Manager for Marketing & Branding (yoghurts and fermented foods) at Arla Foods Sweden, explained: “Over 80 per cent of consumers appreciated the possibility to be able to separate the top, and 77 per cent said that they would recycle more [according to Homestudy Norm Research & Consulting 2012]. We now have over 35 product variants in the Yoggi and Arla range with Tetra Top® with Separable Top on the Swedish market. For us it was a great benefit to be able to launch without adding cost.”

The Tetra Top package family includes four bottom formats: Base, Midi, Mini and Micro. Volumes range from the 100-mililitre (ml) portion packages to the 1,000-ml family packages. The plastic tops come in either screw top or tear-off options.

A YouTube video has been created by Tetra Pak to demonstrate how the Tetra Top with Separable Top works in action.

Find out more about Tetra Pak.