Tetra Pak launches homogenizer range incorporating Circle Green stainless steel with lower carbon footprint

Tetra Pak announces the expansion of its homogenizer portfolio, offering machines with Outokumpu Circle Green¹ stainless steel, a material that boasts a carbon footprint up to 93% lower when compared to the global industry average for stainless steel². This innovative material will be available as an option for all models in Tetra Pak’s homogenizer line in Europe from June, before rolling out globally later in the year.

With approximately 7% of the world's carbon dioxide emissions stemming from the global steel industry³, innovating with new forms of stainless steel plays an important role in reducing overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In the food and beverage (F&B) industry, everything from dairy beverages to table sauces relies on homogenization as part of its production process.

Choosing Tetra Pak homogenizers with a Circle Green stainless steel hood offers F&B manufacturers a viable path to reducing their Scope 3 emissions, a vital yet challenging aspect of achieving net-zero goals. Depending on the model, using Circle Green on a Homogenizer will reduce the CO₂ emissions by between 160kg to 1370kg per machine⁴. The Circle Green variant range offers the same benefits as the other Tetra Pak homogenizers in the line, such as durability, reliability and ease of operation.

This strategic collaboration with Outokumpu, the global leader in sustainable stainless steel, marks the beginning of a partnership that will see the two companies explore other applications of Circle Green across the Tetra Pak equipment portfolio. This work aims to further help F&B manufacturers achieve their sustainability goals and ensure compliance with evolving environmental regulations.

The launch of the portfolio is the latest step towards Tetra Pak’s own commitment to reach net-zero across the value chain by 2050⁵, and forms part of a range of solutions that aim to take a holistic view of F&B manufacturers’ emissions, considering the emissions involved in equipment manufacture alongside taking a factory-wide approach to energy, water and Cleaning in Place (CIP) optimization.

Niklas Wass, executive vice president for Stainless Europe, Outokumpu, comments, “Low emission stainless steel is at the heart of sustainability solutions across the world. It plays a pivotal role in accelerating the green transition, and the food and beverage industry is a good example of where low emission steel can have a significant impact. We are proud to partner with Tetra Pak on this transformative initiative and look forward to delivering and developing sustainable solutions that facilitate the decarbonization across the value chain. The cooperation with both companies is a concrete action towards reducing emissions in manufacturing”.  

Fiona Liebehenz, vice president of Key Components Plant Solutions and Channel Management, Tetra Pak, comments, "Innovation sits at the heart of our philosophy as a business and our approach to sustainability. The incorporation of Circle Green into our product portfolio is an important step in leveraging the latest innovations to improve our upstream emissions, whilst also helping to reduce emissions at customer sites. Working together to help both Tetra Pak and our customers to reach our individual sustainability goals is fundamental to our promise to protect what’s good".

¹https://www.outokumpu.com/en/expertise/2023/your-questions-about-circle-green-answered
²Global average CO₂ emissions (2023): 7 kg CO₂e per kg of stainless steel (Outokumpu’s calculation based on data provided by CRU, worldstainless and Kobolde & Partners AB). Outokumpu Circle Green CO₂ emissions: down to 0.5 kilos of CO₂e per kg of stainless steel.  
³IEA. (2020). Iron and Steel Technology Roadmap.
⁴Outokumpu's calculation based on data from CRU and Worldstainless: European average 2,8t/tco2; Circle Green 0,57t/tco2.
⁵https://www.tetrapak.com/sustainability/focus-areas/climate-and-decarbonisation/decarbonising-the-value-chain#ambitions-targets