Tetra Pak invests €100M in French plant as Europe prepares for tethered caps

29 Jun 2021 --- Tetra Pak is investing €100 million (US$119 million) in expanding its Châteaubriant plant in France. The plant designs and manufactures caps with a special focus on the increased production of tethered caps. 

The company announced paper straw and tethered cap expansions in March. The solutions are designed to meet the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive’s (SUPD) requirements for plastic-replacement straws by July 2021 and tethered caps and lids by July 2024.

Spanning across late 2021-2023, the investment project will support the plant’s transition to tethered caps production by 2024. Tethered caps help minimize litter, as they stay attached to the package.

Preparing for SUPD
Tetra Pak says this investment – in addition to its commitment to invest approximately €100 million (US$119 million) per year over the next 5-10 years to develop more environmentally sustainable packaging solutions – is key to ensuring European customers will be ready to comply with the SUPD.

The SUPD is an integral part of the EU’s Plastics Strategy and an important element of its Circular Economy Action Plan. 

Tetra Pak’s Châteaubriant plant in France.“We are particularly proud of this investment project, which demonstrates how we consistently strive to provide customers with sustainable innovations and meet the rapidly changing demands of regulators and society,” says Charles Brand, president of Tetra Pak Europe & Central Asia.

“High-performance food packaging plays a critical role in feeding the world, but it must do so sustainably, so food availability does not come at the cost of the planet.”

Five billion caps
The Châteaubriant plant is a key manufacturing facility for Tetra Pak, serving food and beverage manufacturers globally, with a production capacity of approximately 5 billion caps in 2020.Charles Brand, president of Tetra Pak Europe & Central Asia.

Awarded last year with the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) Advanced Products certification, the factory is also equipped to produce additional materials integrating attributed recycled polymers.

Today, the site covers over 30,000 sqm and features 19 lines dedicated to the manufacture of six types of caps.

The investment will be spread over two phases. The first one begins in late 2021, where the company will enlarge the industrial site to accommodate a 30 percent increase in manufacturing capacity by installing ten additional lines dedicated to producing tethered caps.

Between 2022 and 2023, approximately 50 percent of the existing lines will be replaced, expanding food and beverage players’ access to tethered caps.

Edited by Joshua Poole