Elopak announces the market roll out of the Pure-Pak eSense carton: A more environmentally friendly aseptic carton made without an aluminium layer.

Designed using technology from its fresh portfolio, as well as its traditional sustainably sourced paperboard, the Pure-Pak eSense carton is aluminium-free and instead made with a polyolefin blend barrier. This results in up to 50% lower carbon footprint* than a standard Pure-Pak aseptic carton and full recyclability.

With no aluminium layer, the Pure-Pak eSense carton unlocks the potential to be fully renewable. It also simplifies the recycling process as the new polyolefin structure enables a one operation separation of the fibers and the polyolefin layers, and the polyolefin material does not contain value reducing elements. Furthermore, the carton is designed with easy folding crease lines, which help consumers to empty all the product inside before folding the carton for more convenient recycling while reducing food waste.

This falls in line with Elopak’s ambition to promote a net zero circular economy for packaging; driving the transition from plastic bottles to fully renewable, low carbon cartons.

The first company to bring the benefits of the Pure-Pak eSense package to market is leading Spanish drinks manufacturer GARCÍA CARRIÓN. This launch is a new milestone in the sustainable evolution of its DON SIMÓN brand, which is in line with their motto: “Takes care of you and the Planet”. A few years ago, the DON SIMÓN brand introduced Natural Brown Board, which enabled them to remove the bleaching process from their packages and joined the CarbonNeutral program. Now they partner with Elopak once again, pioneering aseptic packaging without aluminium, which contributes to their ‘zero waste’ and ‘zero net emissions’ objectives.

“The arrival of the Pure-Pak eSense carton is very significant because it extends the environmental credentials of our cartons to customers in our aseptic segment. Aluminium is a finite resource that does not replenish over time. Additionally, the production of aluminium is relatively energy intensive and thus has a higher carbon footprint than the other materials in beverage cartons,” said director sustainability, Marianne Groven.

The Pure-Pak eSense carton is suitable for both low and high acid food & beverage products, including milk, juice and plant-based drinks. The innovative new barrier replaces the aluminium layer while still retaining the classic rigidity of a carton.

The Pure-Pak eSense carton is available in 500ml, 750ml, and 1l sizes, with 1.5l, 1.75l and 2l and US relevant sizes to be introduced at a later stage. The carton will be available with a range of compatible aseptic caps, as well as a cap-free easy-opening feature which reduces plastic consumption and lowers the carbon footprint even further.

Customers can also opt for polyethylene based on feedstocks from second generation renewable sources, or a carbon neutral version of the Pure-Pak eSense carton, where the remaining emissions are offset through Elopak’s verified CarbonNeutral packaging program.

Elopak’s chief marketing officer, Patrick Verhelst, explained that the Pure-Pak eSense carton is a milestone in helping brands to deliver on consumers’ environmental expectations. “Nowadays consumers are constantly looking for ways to further reduce their environmental footprint, without compromising on functionality. With the release of the Pure-Pak eSense carton, our customers will be able to offer more sustainable packaging for a wider range of products and with sizes and closure options to suit every need.”

*Based on internal, third-party reviewed cradle-to-gate calculations from the Dynamic Elopak Environmental Performance (DEEP) tool, version11, 2021