The world needs more food

There are 8 billion people on Earth and every year the global population increases by another 50 million people – most of them in emerging markets and big cities. By 2030, it is forecast that the world will have a population of 8.5 billion people¹.

8.5

billion

people will live on the planet by 2030¹.

750

million

people are going hungry every year

There is growing and urgent demand for access to nutritious food and beverages. Two billion people lack regular access to safe, healthy and sufficient food², and it is estimated that approximately 750 million people are going hungry every year. Yet, at the same time, there is enormous food loss from farmers to manufacturers and from retailers to consumers, as edible and valuable food is unnecessarily discarded or improperly stored.

Better packaging is part of the solution. SIG’s aseptic packs retain the nutrients and vitamins of their contents over many months without the addition of preservatives. The availability of different pack sizes helps the consumer to avoid overbuying. In addition, food and beverages can be transported and stored in ambient conditions, avoiding the need for energy-intensive cold chains.

SIG provides aseptic packaging solutions for affordable, long-life, portable and – most importantly – nutritious liquid food and beverages. Around 60% of the Group’s sales are packaging solutions for white milk and other liquid dairy products. This represents efficient, readily available protein for a growing world population.

Customers in growth regions are increasingly recognising the advantages of aseptic carton packaging.

“Milky Mist is a front runner in deploying the latest, next-generation, state-of-the-art technologies and was exploring differentiated packs in the UHT category. That’s where we came across SIG’s unique aseptic filling technology. Together with its innovative on-the-go combismile packaging, it was a perfect fit to provide our customers with a long-life product offering that maintains the nutritional content of the product. We're proud to state that our association with SIG has given us an opportunity to be a first mover in the dairy drinks category in the Indian market.”

All our packaging solutions have the lowest carbon footprint compared with competing substrates. We continuously improve our offering through innovation and R&D.

SIG’s aseptic carton packaging solutions are at the forefront of better packaging:

• 75–80% of our standard aseptic carton packs come from renewable resources. We were the first in the industry to have 100% FSC™-certified paperboard.
• We were the first in the aseptic carton industry to eliminate the layer of aluminium foil – cutting CO₂ per pack by up to 58%.
• We were the first to use packaging material with polymers that are 100% linked to forest-based, renewable materials via a certified mass-balance system.
• Our aseptic carton production is carbon neutral and uses 100% renewable electricity.
• We were the first aseptic carton maker to introduce paper straws.
• We were the first to offer carton packs made with recycled polymers produced from post-consumer plastic waste.

But we need to go further and we are on a journey to create “The Perfect Pack”. A pack that gives more to people and planet than it takes. A pack that ultimately has a net positive impact on the world in which we live.

For more information, see Widening our portfolio of sustainable packaging solutions.