Tetra Pak has recently introduced its ‘Factory Sustainable Solutions,’ a comprehensive approach aimed at optimizing energy, water, and cleaning-in-place (CIP) processes across manufacturing facilities.
This new addition to Tetra Pak’s sustainability portfolio offers food and beverage (F&B) producers a customized blend of advanced technologies and robust plant integration capabilities. The goal is to assist F&B producers in enhancing energy efficiency and resource management, crucial steps toward achieving sustainability targets and reducing operational expenses.
Amidst increasing pressures to minimize reliance on fossil fuels and adopt energy-efficient practices, F&B producers face rising operational costs due to factors like raw material expenses, CO2 taxes, and water wastage fees. Addressing these challenges through innovative solutions in supply chain and manufacturing processes is essential for achieving cost efficiencies.
Tetra Pak’s ‘Factory Sustainable Solutions’ complements its existing range of resource-efficient equipment and services by providing a systematic, factory-wide optimization approach. These solutions can be seamlessly integrated at various stages to recover and reduce resource consumption, including energy, water, and chemicals. By optimizing resource usage, businesses can achieve long-term cost savings and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, thereby aligning with stringent sustainability regulations.
The Tetra Pak Factory Sustainable Solutions team collaborates closely with customers to identify suitable technologies and integration solutions tailored to their operational requirements. This collaborative approach ensures the implementation of best practices and customized configurations that optimize water, energy, and CIP processes specific to each facility.
Among the advanced technologies featured in Tetra Pak’s ‘Factory Sustainable Solutions’ offering are:
- Nanofiltration, developed by Tetra Pak, reclaims caustic cleaning liquid used for CIP. This technology allows for the recovery of clean chemicals and water for future reuse, enabling up to 90% recovery of the total spent liquid[ Resource-saving filtration solutions | Tetra Pak Global].
- Reverse Osmosis, developed by Tetra Pak, uses proprietary membrane filtration technology to improve resource efficiency across multiple applications, including milk separation and water reuse.
Tetra Pak is also collaborating with innovative technology partners to offer additional solutions, including: - HighLift™ heat pump technology, in collaboration with Olvondo Technology A/S, can be integrated into operations to facilitate the reuse of waste heat to produce steam across plant equipment, including the Tetra Pak Direct UHT unit, at pressures up to 10 bar.
- High-temperature heat pumps, in collaboration with Johnson Controls, which up-cycles processed waste heat to use elsewhere in the factory.
- Solar thermal collectors, in collaboration with Absolicon, utilize the sun as an unlimited source of clean and renewable energy to power hot water and steam delivery – at temperatures above 150°C – making it suitable for UHT applications.
Stefano Vittor, CEO of Olvondo Technology A/S, expresses enthusiasm about Tetra Pak’s integration of their HighLift heat pump technology into its Factory Sustainable Solutions business, emphasizing its potential to significantly reduce carbon emissions within the food and beverage industry. He remarks, “We’re delighted to collaborate with Tetra Pak on this impactful initiative and contribute to the transformative changes they are driving.”
Fredrik Norrbom, Director of Sweden at Johnson Controls System and Service AB, underscores the importance of heat pumps in enhancing energy efficiency and achieving net zero heating when paired with renewable electricity. He states, “We are proud to partner with Tetra Pak on smart building solutions, supporting customers in meeting their sustainability goals and advancing emissions reduction in the industry.”
Nicole Uvenbeck, Director of Factory Sustainable Solutions and OEM Components at Tetra Pak, describes the launch as a significant milestone for the company. She emphasizes the team’s dedication to expanding the impact and value of their approach for customers, particularly through holistic optimizations in water, energy, and CIP recovery at the factory level. Uvenbeck highlights, “Factory Sustainable Solutions marks an evolution in our capabilities, redefining how we assist customers in achieving their sustainability ambitions while driving down operational costs.”
Fiona Liebehenz, Vice President of Key Components, Plant Solutions, and Channel Management at Tetra Pak, commends the team for their efforts. She stresses the critical need for customers to operate with maximum efficiency in resource usage, calling it an existential challenge for many. Liebehenz affirms, “Through close collaboration and understanding of their unique needs, we provide purpose-built equipment enriched with comprehensive knowledge of food and beverage applications, delivering tangible improvements in a financially advantageous manner.”
The business launch of Tetra Pak’s Factory Sustainable Solutions marks the availability of their expertise and advisory globally. Tetra Pak aims to further develop and expand this offering across all markets, continually adapting to the evolving needs of their customers.
