Berglandmilch, Austria’s leading dairy company, is the first in Austria to choose SIG Terra Alu-free + Full barrier, the world’s first full barrier aseptic carton packaging material with no aluminum layer. Berglandmilch will offer white milk from its premium brand “Schärdinger Formil” in SIG Terra MidiBloc Alu-free + Full barrier reducing the already low carbon footprint of standard SIG aseptic cartons by 22%1. The environmental benefit is communicated directly to consumers on the packaging.
SIG Terra Alu-free + Full barrier is a huge step forward in the push to decarbonize the food and beverage industry. By removing the aluminum layer used in conventional aseptic carton packs to protect milk or oxygen-sensitive products such as juices or plant-based beverages, SIG has reduced the number of raw materials from 3 to 2. The new packaging material is primarily made of paper and uses ultra-thin polymer barriers, that protect the product against oxygen, light, moisture and aroma loss. It offers the same product shelf life of up to 12 months and the same product protection as standard full-barrier materials, that use aluminum as a protective layer, while significantly reducing the carbon footprint. Although aluminum accounts for just around 5% of a standard aseptic carton, it accounts for up to 25% of its carbon footprint in a full-barrier package. Removing it represents a major gain for environmental performance.
Josef Braunshofer, CEO at Berglandmilch, said, “At Berglandmilch, sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. Choosing SIG Terra Alu-free + Full barrier packaging material is a clear step forward for us. It helps us to lower CO₂ emissions without compromising on product protection. We believe in partnering with companies like SIG that share our commitment to innovative, responsible packaging solutions.”
SIG has been a pioneer in aluminum-layer-free cartons since 2010, having sold over 4 billion alu-layer-free packs to date. Opting for SIG Terra Alu-free + Full barrier, the most advanced aluminum-layer-free full barrier packaging material by SIG, will offer Berglandmilch high flexibility to use it for a wide range of different products including oxygen-sensitive products. Being the first company in Austria to offer aseptic carton packaging made from SIG Terra Alu-free + Full barrier packaging material gives Berglandmilch the opportunity to gain a real competitive advantage.
“We are very proud that Berglandmilch has chosen our SIG Terra Alu-free + Full barrier solution,” said Viktoria Uhl-Pochman, head of sales Austria and Switzerland at SIG. “With a high renewable material share, no aluminum layer, and the same trusted barrier performance, this innovative packaging material helps reduce CO₂ emissions. Berglandmilch is the first dairy to utilize the advantages of SIG Terra Alu-free + Full barrier for its 1-liter carton packs, thereby enabling consumers to make even more sustainable purchasing decisions.”
The packaging material is compatible with existing SIG filling lines. Designed as a plug-and-play solution, it delivers optimal performance at high speeds – up to 24,000 packs per hour for small-size carton packs and 15,000 packs per hour for multi-serve formats – with only minimal, cost-effective adjustments required.
SIG plans to gradually introduce SIG Terra Alu-free + Full barrier across all its core aseptic carton formats and across all beverage and dairy categories. These solutions represent important progress in SIG’s mission to create an alu-layer-free, full barrier aseptic carton made with at least 90% paper content, including the closure, by 2030, aiming to improve renewability, further reduce carbon emissions, and streamline the recycling process of aseptic cartons by requiring only the separation of paperboard and polymers.
