- Tetra Pak is accelerating sustainable packaging solutions such as low‑carbon materials and improved recyclability by reducing its climate impact and expanding recycling infrastructure to support higher recycling rates and strengthen the circular economy.
- Partnering with Yellow Dreams and DLL enables Tetra Pak to scale PolyAl recycling through targeted recycling infrastructure investment and innovative circular economy financing, helping overcome technological and financial challenges.
- The impact of this collaboration strengthens long-term sustainable food packaging solutions, advances packaging equipment innovation, and enables a more circular, sustainable future for the global packaging industry.
Sustainability is a crucial focus for Tetra Pak, a global leader in food processing and packaging solutions. As the company embraces the circular economy, they are working towards reducing climate impact across their value chain and building recycling infrastructure investment with their partners to increase the recycling rates of used beverage cartons, supporting broader sustainable packaging solutions.
As an example, Tetra Pak has joined forces with Yellow Dreams to further expand the Tetra Pak recycling infrastructure of beverage cartons, reinforcing long-term food packaging solutions within a circular model. These projects are not without challenges.
To overcome them, Tetra Pak established a financial partnership with DLL to benefit from DLL’s expertise in financing and innovation, particularly through unique operating leases and circular economy financing solutions. This helped them drive their sustainability goals forward and support progress in food packaging equipment.
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Tetra Pak-DLL collaboration to set up PolyAI recycling plant in The Netherlands
In December 2024, Tetra Pak and Yellow Dreams announced that Tetra Pak will support Yellow Dreams with an investment of around €3 million to establish a new recycling plant in Ittervoort, The Netherlands.
This facility, operational from the second half of 2025, recycled the nonfibre component (PolyAl) from used beverage cartons, significantly boosting the Tetra Pak recycling capacity in the European Union (EU).
The plant's strategic location near the Belgian and German borders allows it to process the entire volume of PolyAl from beverage cartons recycled in Belgium and The Netherlands, and part of the volume from Germany an investment that reinforces regional recycling infrastructure investment.
With an annual capacity of 25,000 tones, this new plant complements the existing 8,000 tone capacity at Recon Polymers’ facility in Roosendaal, marking a significant increase in the region’s recycling capacity and contributing to a more circular economy financing model by extending the lifecycle of resources and supporting future food packaging solutions.
What is PolyAI recycling?
PolyAl, a mix of polymers and aluminum, can be recycled into a variety of valuable products, including injection molding, tiles, pallets, furniture, and interior design elements, strengthening the role of sustainable packaging within the circular value chain.
Tackling the challenge of using more recycled materials in food packaging solutions
Promoting the use of recycled materials is challenging due to quality concerns, economic factors, and infrastructure gaps. Navigating complex regulations also complicates efforts to increase the application of these materials in different markets, highlighting the need for stronger recycling infrastructure investment and the development of more robust sustainable packaging solutions. Collaboration within the industry is crucial.
Tetra Pak recognizes that while pilot projects have demonstrated the potential of these new materials, scaling them to an industrial level is another matter. This challenge is particularly relevant when working to expand Tetra Pak recycling capabilities and integrate recycled materials into future food packaging solutions.
“The industrial scale is far from mainstream,” Bas Gehlen, Managing Director at Yellow Dreams, acknowledged. “There are some pilot plants here and there, but at the end of the day, they may not always lead to immediate success. Scaling these efforts is challenging.”
For Tetra Pak, collaboration with DLL was critical in tackling these challenges. Frank Vandewal, Tetra Pak's Global Recycling Director, highlighted the importance of looking ahead and working with companies that are willing to take risks and invest in developing sustainable practices, a mindset aligned with circular economy financing and the drive to advance food packaging equipment and recycling technologies.
“The early adopters – companies who look ahead – are creating a more stable future than those who wait,” said Vandewal. “We are already working with recycled materials and looking for ways to integrate them more efficiently. This kind of thinking is essential for driving circularity in the future.”
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DLL’s Role: Overcoming Uncertainty and Supporting Innovation
While the project presented uncertainties, DLL’s financial partnership was instrumental in helping Tetra Pak navigate them. Annamaria Frontini, DLL Global Program Manager for Tetra Pak, recognized that this type of project—focused on circular economy financing, sustainable packaging solutions, and new technologies—required a shift in how DLL approached risk assessments.
“This is not a typical situation for DLL,” Frontini explained. “Usually, we have a clear risk framework. But in this case, many elements were not fixed or defined at the time of the discussion.”
This project required DLL to adopt a more flexible approach, working to anticipate potential future scenarios. As Frontini elaborated, “We had to adjust our mindset, be open to change, and find solutions based on the evolving project details. It was a challenging but necessary shift to support projects that are not fully defined from the start,” particularly those aimed at strengthening Tetra Pak recycling, expanding recycling infrastructure investment, and supporting innovative food packaging solutions aligned with circularity goals.
Despite the initial uncertainty, Bas acknowledged the essential support from DLL: “We couldn’t have started without the help of DLL and Tetra Pak. The combination was crucial to making the next step. Their determination to make this work clear and evident.”
This collaboration demonstrates how flexible financing models can enable progress in food packaging equipment innovation and PolyAl recycling.
The impact of the partnership: Strengthening sustainable packaging solutions
As Tetra Pak and DLL continue their financial partnership, both parties reflected on the successes of the collaboration. Frank Vandewal expressed gratitude for DLL’s commitment to the partnership: “We are very grateful that DLL was willing to partner with us on this project. Beyond our usual activities, this has been a great collaboration, and we hope there will be future opportunities to do similar work together.” This ongoing cooperation reinforces a shared mission by both companies to advance sustainable packaging solutions and expand Tetra Pak recycling capabilities across the value chain.
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Bas echoed this sentiment, reinforcing the importance of DLL’s role in enabling Tetra Pak to advance its sustainability goals through its innovative financial solutions: “The combination of DLL and Tetra Pak was crucial to making this work. Without their support, we wouldn’t have been able to take the next step. Their involvement was indispensable." This financial partnership supports continued progress in recycling infrastructure investment, promoting innovation that benefits future food packaging solutions and drives circularity.
The financial partnership between Tetra Pak and DLL is a shining example of how collaboration can drive sustainability practices in an ever-changing industry. By combining Tetra Pak’s innovative approach to packaging with DLL’s expertise in financing and risk management, both partners have been able to lay significant steps toward circularity. This successful collaboration has not only addressed immediate challenges but also set the stage for future opportunities to work together toward a more sustainable future—aligned with broader circular economy financing goals and efforts to strengthen sustainable packaging practices. By combining Tetra Pak’s innovative approach to packaging with DLL’s expertise in financing and risk management,
Through continued open communication, adaptability, and shared goals, Tetra Pak and DLL are paving the way for other companies to follow in their footsteps as they work to create a circular economy in packaging and beyond.
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