PAKPRO has acquired Tetra Pack to strengthen partnerships in addressing sustainability issues such as waste reduction and recycling.
PAKPRO is an organization comprised of volunteers who are dedicated to promoting a cleaner and safer environment through responsible packaging practices. Their mission is to recycle all waste materials and reduce the impact of packaging on the environment.
According to PAKPRO CEO Joyce Waweru, she stresses the urgency for other companies to come on board, for their agenda isn’t only about meeting compliance but also about the creation of an impactful value chain that’s efficient.
PAKPRO has now rebranded to PETCO following the gazettement of the Sustainable Waste Management Act, The Ministry of Environment and Forestry has been working on the development of the Extended Producer Responsibility Regulations Draft (EPR), where producer responsibility organizations are required to manage all non-hazardous packaging as one of the listed categories.
“We welcome Tetra Pack on board as we actualize means of ensuring that the environment is safeguarded and clean. Packaging Producer Responsibility Organization has been actively involved in the development of various policies and pieces of legislation to spur the growth of a circular economy in the country. We also gear up to offering creation of jobs and Incentivizing the waste pickers and collectors is core in the enhancement of a complete value chain,” said Joyce Waweru.
Tetra Pack being a converter and supplier for other companies, the enjoining of PAKPRO seeks to offer nature-based solutions to our ecological challenges as gears are in place for paper-based carton packages that are providing safe food to people everywhere. Tetra Pack had a focus on areas of circularity, climate, food, and biodiversity, as it rolls out actions that address the sustainability challenges faced.
PAKPRO has held consultative engagements with various stakeholders, including the government, industry players, recyclers, and collectors, and developed a model that seeks to address the challenges in the existing value chains for various materials.
Tetra Pack themed- ‘Protect whats good’ has 8 partners who have climate targets approved by the new Science-based target initiatives (SBTi) in line with the 1.5C ambition. Having launched Tetra Rex in 2015, the world’s first fully renewable paper-based carton package, plant-based polymers have increased in packages and sales promising.
Tetra Pack in 2021 sold 17.6 billion packages and 10.8 billion caps made with plant-based plastic, thus a reduction of 96-kilo tonnes of Carbon dioxide that would have been emitted was it used fossil-based plastic. Evident is the saying remarked by Jonathan that let’s not forget that waste has value too.
Mr. Akhmed Abdil, Sustainability Manager for East Africa and Egypt, emphasized that this partnership aims to develop a wider range of operations focused on creating the world’s most sustainable food package. This involves innovating food packaging and processing technologies that reduce water, energy, and waste.
According to Mr. Kimani Rugendo Chairman of PAKPRO, the new brand symbolizes our relentless pursuit of excellence and the unwavering dedication of our incredible team toward creating a circular economy. It represents our shared values, our passion for progress, and our unwavering commitment to making a positive impact.
He added that it signifies an ability to adapt to the ever-changing needs of our membership and our readiness to embrace new opportunities in the new legislative era.
To summarize, Susan Maingi of Coca-Cola believes that although these steps may appear insignificant, they will yield significant benefits for those involved. Therefore, she urges the adoption of a complete circular economy, encompassing production, recycling, and the creation of new products.
“For little by little the birds shall start building nests and this is one of such moments as this is one of the nests that’s being built,” said Susan Maingi.
