forest sourced

cartons start their life in the forest. plantation timber is grown to produce lumber for housing and furniture manufacture. the waste products of this forest based industry, unusable parts of trees, thinnings, bark, offcuts and sawdust goes to the paper mill. for every tree harvested, several more are planted ensuring this resource never runs out.

paper based

paperboard forms the core of every milk and juice carton. long fibred pulp is used to give the carton strength and rigidity. it also allows the board to be creased into a carton shape.

degradable

because cartons are made from a natural material - wood - they are degradable, they do not stay around for ever. CSIRO tests have shown cartons can be COMPOSTED at home. cartons have also been included in large scale Municipal Compost Programmes.

lightweight

because cartons are made from paper they are an extremely lightweight and efficient form of packaging. this produces extra environmental benefits - they take less energy to transport - require less energy to refrigerate - milk cartons need only a third of the energy to stay cool - and make less waste.

long life

'long life' cartons have an additional aluminium foil which acts as an air or oxygen barrier. the long life 'UHT' process kills all the bacteria in milk or juice by quickly heating and cooling it. the long life pack keeps the contents fresh without the need for refrigeration - another energy saving environmental benefit. the united nations uses 'long life' packaging to distribute a salt and sugar solution to starving and dehydrated children in Africa.

recyclable

all cartons are recyclable. the collected cartons are sent to a paper mill where the pulp in the cartons is recovered and turned into quality paper for the use in offices, schools and homes. because cartons are made from long fibred pulp they are a valuable recycling resource. cartons can also be recycled as compost or, like the the wood they came from, safely burnt to recycle their energy. most councils in australia offer kerbside recycling of milk and juice cartons, click here to see if your local council does.

Links:
ALC Website