[gallery size="full" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" ids="52359,52360,52361,52362"]Layan Damanhouri STOCKHOLM – Consumers around the globe are gradually becoming environmentally conscious, which determines their choice of brand when shopping at the grocery store. This was revealed by research conducted by the global leading food packaging and processing company Tetra Pak headquartered in Sweden. In a survey last year, 62% of consumers said FSC makes the host brand "more meaningful" and will choose based on ecologically conscious choices rather than brand uniqueness, mill director Magnus Kangas told journalists in a media roundtable at the Billerudkorsnas manufacturing facility in Sweden. Similarly, 61% of food manufacturers and retailers said they believed consumers pay attention to environmental labeling to packaging. Tetra Pak's packaging carry the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification that is carried by multinational host brands today, a certification that ensures sustainable forest management founded in 1993 by companies and NGOs. For every tree cut, three are planted to ensure a sustainable forest, Kangas added. Tetra Pak further reported a rise in the number of companies in the MENA region selling products in Tetra Pak packages that carry the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) label. The company boosted the deployment rate of FSC-labeled packages in the region from 2.2% to 6.7% last year as manufacturers start to meet consumer demand for sustainable packaging. Tetra Pak annually uses about 2 million tons of paperboard. "In Saudi Arabia, as in the rest of the MENA region, all Tetra Pak factories and market companies are FSC certified," said Abdullah Hassan, communication manager of Tetra Pak Arabia. "Consumers expect companies to do more on environment these days and this includes responsible sourcing of raw materials," a representative said when asked about the choice of FSC in managing the forests. "The FSC logo helps consumers make better-informed choices about the environmental impact of their purchases and provides Tetra Pak customers with a strong competitive advantage. It further signifies that all wood used in the package comes from forests that are managed in accordance with the environmental, social and economic principles as these are defined by FSC. With about 75% of a Tetra Pak carton being made up of paperboard, securing a sustainable supply of wood-based products is critical both for protecting forests and for ensuring a future supply of packaging materials in the years ahead." Trees are used for several purposes, including energy production from the top, bark, and branches, whereas the middle is used for pulp and paper to produce 1,500 drink cartons of 1 liter. Boards and planks are produced from lower parts of trees.
