Every level of our business is influenced by the ideal we work towards: a Natural Evolution. In our production, in our distribution, and within our own company, the natural choice is our first priority.
Packaging must be in order – for the product and the environment
Packaging, together with transport and food production, are the three specific areas that Arla will be focussing on over the next three years in order to reduce CO2 emissions. The goal is to reduce CO2 emissions in each of the three areas by 25 per cent before 2020.
Three areas where measures will be carried out
In order to attain this goal, Arla has defined three areas where measures will be carried out:
- Using materials that have little impact on the environment
- Using more materials that can be recycled
- Minimising packaging quantities
Major benefits for the environment can be achieved by taking steps in these areas. At Arla UK, for instance, the quantity of packaging has been reduced by 753 tonnes. The use of a lightweight screw cap alone has resulted in an annual reduction of 240 tonnes.
Don't compromise
"It is extremely important to remember that packaging has a function. This means that Arla cannot supply its products in just any packaging," says Jan Dalsgaard Johannesen, Group Environment Manager at Arla.
Where milk is concerned, for instance, it is not possible to supply it in cardboard only because it is not suitable for packing a liquid. Therefore, a very thin layer of plastic has to be applied to the inside of the carton to retain the milk.
Another example is butter. If butter is packed in paper that has no light barrier, it will oxidise and become rancid. Aluminium foil is therefore used to pack Lurpak butter. The foil functions as an oxygen and water barrier, both of which are necessary to retain its flavour.
Close collaboration with suppliers
Where packaging is concerned, a great deal of environmental impact stems from its production, and in order to really gain major environment-related benefits, Arla will begin to make demands on the suppliers of its packaging.
"We buy a very large part of our packaging from external companies and we will involve them in our goal of reducing its environmental impact. This is an area in which we are only just taking the first steps, but it will become much more evident during the next two years," says Jan Dalsgaard Johannesen.
Cross-border cooperation
Arla set up a cross-border group which cooperates on packaging Among other things, this has resulted in a tool designed to calculate CO2 emissions and in a programme that will be used in connection with future product and packaging development.
"The programme enables us to calculate how much impact various types of packaging will have on the environment. It will play a very important role in connection with developing products and packaging in the future," says Jan Dalsgaard Johannesen.
Major demands are made on packaging. It must:
- maintain the product's shelf-life and flavour
- be easy to fill in production
- be appropriate for transport
- be made in as energy-friendly a way as possible
- be environmentally-friendly when it becomes waste
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Every little drop…
For the past ten years, Arla has been taking steps tolight weight its packaging and therefore reduce the quantity of material used. When work on this began, it was with an eye on the financial aspect, but it is now done with the environment in mind as Arla strives to reduce the weight of its packaging.
…helps
Lightweighting packaging can lead to major benefits for the environment. In the UK, we have reduced the quantity of packaging by 753 tonnes during a two-year period. A lightweight screw cap on milk bottles alone resulted in an annual weight reduction of 240 tonnes, while a reduction of three grams on six pint milk containers, from 70 to 67 grams, led to an an annual reduction of 78 tonnes of plastic.
"We are considering a variety of possibilities that can help us lessen our impact on the environment. We are in the process of in-depth investigations of our milk and cream packaging to get an idea of what the next packaging generation should be capable of," says UK Packaging Manager Richard Taplin.
New packaging thoroughly tested
A very large percentage of Arla's packaging comes from external suppliers and efforts to lightweight packaging are carried out in collaboration with them. The most important function of packaging is to make Arla's products convenient for consumers. Therefore the various types of packaging – both new and existing, which we are making efforts to lightweight – go through comprehensive tests before they are put into circulation," explains Klaus Nybro, Packaging Development Manager at Consumer International.
"We carry out exhaustive tests in connection with developing packaging. We conduct a series of durability tests, the packaging is tested on production machines, and we test accessibility, that is, how easy it is to open packaging. In addition we have a number of flavour testers who sample products so we can be certain that they taste as they should. Finally, we carry out a transport test because it is important that packaging can stand up to being transported to supermarkets and shops and home to consumers."
Computer program provide new possibilities
Arla is now developing a new computer program that will help to calculate the environmental impact of various types of packaging.
"The program will make it possible for us to set up two to three scenarios every time we develop a new type of packaging. This will enable us to calculate environmental impact, including CO2 emissions, in connection with the packaging," relates Klaus Nybro.
The program is expected to be ready for use during the first quarter of 2009.
In Denmark, the crème fraiche tub from "Karolines Køkken®" was replaced with a round, more environmentally-friendly version at the beginning of 2008. The round tub contains less plastic and the aluminium lid was replaced by a more environmentally-friendly plastic lid. Through these changes, the quantity of CO2 emitted during the production of the tub was reduced by 79 tonnes a year, which is almost the same as the annual diesel consumption of two of Arla's distribution vehicles.
One million transport miles saved though in-house production of bottles
In the UK the majority of milk sold to consumers is packed in plastic bottles and Arla UK saves transport miles and reduces packaging by manufacturing these bottles in-house.
The bottles are produced using a process called extrusion blow moulding, which uses high-density polyethylene (HDPE) granules, which are delivered to sites and melted prior to being blown into the final bottle design.
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The environment
"This process is more environmentally-friendly as the bottles don't have to be packed in plastic and transported to the dairy," says UK packaging manager, Richard Taplin.
"If the bottles were produced off site and transported to our dairies, we would use a lot of energy on what is effectively transporting air. With this process, we get 20 tonnes of HDPE granules in one delivery, from which we produce bottles. This is far more efficient compared to the small quantity of empty bottles you can transport on a trailer."
The environmental benefit is estimated to be around 27,500 less lorry journeys a year, which corresponds to one million less road miles. And, in-house production means the bottles are delivered direct to the filling line, saving 340 tonnes of outer packaging a year.
How it works
The HDPE granules are melted and extruded into a hollow tube, known as a parison. This parison is then enclosed in a water-cooled metal mould. Air is then blown into the parison, inflating it into the shape of the bottle.
When the hot plastic touches the walls of the mould the material is cooled and the bottle maintains its rigid shape. The mould is then opened and the bottle is ejected. The excess plastic, which is removed prior to the bottles being filled, is re-ground and used to make more plastic bottles.
Arla has four in-house blow moulding facilities in the UK and has been manufacturing plastic bottles at these sites for over ten years.
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