India’s beverage carton recycling jumps to 48%, beats global average

There is a sustained global movement towards sustainability and, in this, India is emerging as a global leader in sustainable packaging, particularly in the recycling of used food and beverage cartons. A recent study by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) highlights a significant jump in the national recycling rate for these cartons to 48 per cent, a substantial increase from just 29 per cent in 2011. This progress achieved over the last 14 years, is the result of concerted efforts by industry leaders, government initiatives and a growing grassroots movement.

In an exclusive interview with Abhishek Singh, Deputy Editor, LiveMint, Kinga Sieradzon, Vice President of Sustainability Operations at Tetra Pak, an organisation at the forefront of this change, shared some insights into the success and future roadmap during her recent visit to India.

Watch the full interview below,

The power of collaborative effort

The impressive 48 per cent pan-India figure is extrapolated from a study conducted across 24 major cities, where the recycling rate was found to be nearly 64 per cent . Sieradzon spoke about how this achievement is not the work of a single entity, but an “accumulated effort over many many years”

“If you talk about almost 64 per cent, this is an amazing achievement over the years. That says that actually not only we but all the stakeholders that we work with have done an amazing job over the period of last few years to be able to reach and to be able to do such a jump,” she said, noting the robust collaboration among all stakeholders.

This is a journey that started years ago with the establishment of Tetra Pak in India, focusing not just on the package itself, but on the broader principle of sustainability. “For us, what is important is not only about the packaging. Sustainability is about protecting food, people and the planet,” she said.

The importance of education and awareness

A key driver of the increased collection rate is consumer awareness and education. Sieradzon highlighted a program in Mumbai where recyclers, Non Government Organisations (NGOs), and industry partners donated school benches made from recycled beverage cartons, underscoring the importance of early engagement.

“The education, consumer awareness - this is the key for any type of packaging to be recycled because it all starts actually at home. It all starts with your habits. How you are disposing your waste,” she further said, stressing upon the role of individual habits in waste disposal.

A fresh opportunity for entrepreneurs and innovation

While the growth in recycling has been substantial, especially in the big Indian cities, the focus is now shifting from ‘inactive’ waste streams (where cartons get mixed with general waste) to ‘active’ streams, ensuring full material recovery. To explain, in inactive sorting, Tetra Pak packages can get sorted into mixed paper or corrugated paper bales. They are recycled here, but the full potential of the package is not realised.

The transition from inactive to active streams brings with it a massive opportunity for the recycling sector, especially in a country like India. She cited an interesting example of an end-market product: “90 per cent of the seats and then the back part of the tuk-tuk is from the poly-alu. So, it is linked to the food and beverage cartons.”

For aspiring entrepreneurs looking to start a recycling plant, the advice is to first identify a profitable end market – such as roofing sheets or industrial products – and then select the right and most cost-effective technology. What is crucial is building end to end collaboration across the entire value chain, from the aggregators all the way to the end converters.

India outperforms the global average

Comparing India’s efforts globally, the 48 per cent national rate (and nearly 64 per cent in major cities) is highly commendable. The global average recycling rate for food and beverage cartons stands at approximately 27 per cent.

Achieving high recycling rates requires a perfect balance between the ‘push’ side, which comes from government legislation like Extended Producer Responsibility – EPR, and the ‘pull’ side that comes from strong end-market demand and valuable recycled products. “If everything works perfectly, you can go into the 70-80 per cent of recycling rates. But, I can tell you it’s not many countries all over the world that you can have both sides working very well,” she said.

India is showing a positive trend, having developed a strong ‘pull’ side due to its huge population and large end-market potential. The government’s efforts on the ‘push’ side, with the EPR framework, provide a supportive ecosystem for further fine-tuning.

A look into the future

Looking ahead, technology will have a critical role to play in increasing efficiency and transparency. Sieradzon said that digital innovations, particularly in enhancing traceability, will be a game-changer.

“Imagine if we could aggregate everything in one place and you have all the data related to your package... what kind of power we could gain,” she suggested, pointing to a future where a consumer could trace their discarded carton to the new product it became. AI-powered sorting stations are also emerging as a key innovation to improve the segregation of cartons from other waste streams.

For Tetra Pak, the future roadmap includes a strong focus on sustainable package design. This includes increasing the use of renewable and recyclable content and ensuring packages are inherently designed for circularity. The company has already achieved a milestone this year by becoming the first to meet the mandate for 5 per cent recycled content in the plastic part of its cartons, sourced and produced entirely within India.

Note to Readers: This interview was produced by Mint Editorial as part of a partnership with Tetra Pak.