Elopak has introduced a new line of D-PAK cartons that combine post-consumer recycled polyethylene with bio-circular polymers, now available across the Australia and New Zealand regions.
The company confirmed that the cartons will be available in the ANZ region through Elopak directly, with a prospective customer in the home and personal care sector currently considering adoption.
The new D-PAK cartons are made from paperboard coated with a thin plastic layer. Ten per cent of that layer now contains post-consumer circular PE, with the remaining 90 per cent made from bio-circular polymers sourced from vegetable-based waste such as used cooking oil. Both materials are certified through a third-party mass balance chain of custody.
Emilie Olderskog, director of sustainability at Elopak, said the company is an “early mover in offering this mix of circular and bio-circular materials”, which supports efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with its Scope 3 target of a 25 per cent reduction.
She added that the change “helps to reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in landfill, supporting the transition to a circular economy where recycled waste materials replace virgin materials”.
Currently, the cartons are used by Orkla Home and Personal Care (OHPC) for brands such as Klar, OMO and Comfort. Elopak has collaborated with OHPC since 2020, when Klar-branded liquid soaps and laundry detergents were first packaged in carton refill packs. These products quickly sold out, attracting over 1000 people to an online waitlist. Since then, OHPC has expanded its use of Elopak cartons across additional brands and product formats.
Anne Marheim Støren, sustainability director at OHPC, said, “Incorporating circular PE allows us to deliver even more robustly on our customers’ sustainability priorities, while aligning with incoming EU regulations requiring recycled content in plastic packaging from 2030.”
Dow, the supplier of these polymers, is also supporting the initiative. Marian Gmenta, marketing lead for circular and renewable solutions at Dow, stated that the company is working to support “the shift towards a lower carbon and circular economy and drive readiness well ahead of legislative targets”.
The blend of circular and bio-circular polymers can now be integrated into all Elopak packaging solutions, including blanks and closures.
Elopak operates in Australia and New Zealand through a licensing agreement with Nippon Paper. The D-PAK cartons with recycled and renewable polymers are available in both markets.
