ACE welcomes European Commission President von der Leyen and the Council of the EU’s support for increasing the global ambition for biodiversity and endorsing the “Leaders’ Pledge for Nature” at the UN Summit on Biodiversity on Monday 28 September. The beverage carton industry is dedicated to preserving biodiversity, committing to only source wood fibre from sustainably managed forests.¹

Biodiversity supports healthy and resilient ecosystems, keeps the climate in balance, provides essential resources for communities and a stable supply of raw materials for our industry. Global support is essential to help reverse the effects of climate change and restore and maintain nature.

While supporting global initiatives that put biodiversity, climate and environment at the centre of national and international cooperation, we cannot forget that there is work to be done at EU level. “We are delighted to see action on biodiversity taken seriously at a global level,” said Annick Carpentier, Director General. “In most parts of Europe, sustainable forest management already guarantees sound biodiversity. However, there is still action to be considered as policy makers develop the EU Forestry Strategy.”

ACE is committed to:

• Promoting the use of credible sustainable forest management standards, which are instrumental to support the protection of biodiversity, and continuing to demonstrate full traceability of all wood supply to certified sustainably managed forests.
• Ensuring transparency and credible traceability of wood fibre flow by third party chain of custody certification, from carton to forest.
• Ensuring responsible sourcing for all materials, not just wood fibre, demonstrated by third- party certification, credible sustainability standards as the basis for preservation of biodiversity and showing industry leadership.
• Supporting the development of a coherent and growth-oriented EU Forest Strategy which links and recognises biodiversity management and decarbonization, fills knowledge gaps to keep the industry competitive, sets biodiversity targets and ensures Member States meet these targets. ACE calls on the Commission to include such measures in the aforementioned Strategy.

The use of internationally recognised sustainable forest management certification systems is crucial for sustaining biodiversity and minimising future loss. ACE applauds those MEPs who have recently called on the Commission to promote sustainable forest management and biodiversity through a non-binding Parliament resolution.

¹ACE: A commitment to wood traceability

About ACE
ACE – The Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment – provides a European platform for beverage carton manufacturers and their paperboard suppliers to benchmark and profile beverage cartons as a safe, circular, and sustainable packaging solution with low carbon benefits.
ACE members include beverage carton producers Tetra Pak, SIG Combibloc, and Elopak. They develop, manufacture, and market safe, circular, and sustainable systems for the packaging and distribution of food and beverages, and produce packaging material at 20 plants in Europe. Around 98% of the paperboard used by ACE members to produce beverage cartons in Europe is produced by Stora Enso in Skoghall (Sweden) and Imatra (Finland), and BillerudKorsnäs in Gävle and Frövi (Sweden), who are also members of ACE.

EXTR:ACT – Driving Value for multimaterial recycling, the pan-European platform created by BillerudKorsnäs, Elopak, SIG Combibloc, Stora Enso and Tetra Pak, all members of the Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment (ACE), has announced the nomination of EXTR:ACT’s Managing Director, Michael Brandl.

Michael Brandl, a German national with a background in engineering, built his career in the dairy industry before joining FKN, the German beverage carton association in 2010. Michael intends to use his considerable knowledge of both the beverage carton industry and of German and European recycling infrastructures to meet the platform’s objectives.

“We strongly believe that Michael’s experience and expertise will drive EXTR:ACT increase the recycling of our packages, scale and boost value for recycling solutions, and secure our long-term sustainability” said Heike Schiffler, President of EXTR:ACT. “With this new initiative, we are confident we will be able to achieve a significant increase in collection and recycling rates by 2025 “.

EXTR:ACT, based in Frankfurt, will foster the recycling of beverage cartons, including the non-paper components such as polymers and aluminium. It reflects the industry’s commitment to the circular economy and complements ACE’s ongoing work. EXTR:ACT will also seek to work in partnership with stakeholders who have similar needs regarding the recycling of composite packaging.

About ACE:
ACE provides a European platform for beverage carton manufacturers and their paperboard suppliers to benchmark and profile cartons as renewable, recyclable and low carbon packaging solutions. Engaging with stakeholders and partners seeking high environmental stewardship, it contributes expertise to EU policy, legislation and standard‐setting.
ACE members include beverage carton producers Tetra Pak, SIG Combibloc and Elopak; they develop, manufacture and market systems for the packaging and distribution of food, and produce packaging material at 20 plants in Europe. Most of the paperboard used by ACE members in beverage cartons in Europe is produced by Stora Enso in Skoghall (Sweden) and Imatra (Finland), and BillerudKorsnäs in Gävle and Frövi (Sweden), who are also members of ACE.