Beverage cartons. The renewable, fully recyclable & low carbon choice.

The Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment Ireland, ACE Ireland represents Tetra Pak, Elopak and SIG Combibloc, the leading manufacturers of beverage cartons for the Irish and European markets.

ACE delivers sector-wide environmental initiatives on behalf of its members. Our objective is to provide a platform in Ireland to benchmark and profile beverage cartons as a safe, circular, and sustainable packaging solution with low carbon benefits.

Beverage cartons. The Renewable, fully recyclable & low carbon choice.

The Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment Ireland, ACE Ireland represents Tetra Pak, Elopak and SIG Combibloc, the leading manufacturers of beverage cartons for the Irish and European markets.

ACE delivers sector-wide environmental initiatives on behalf of its members.
Our objective is to provide a platform in Ireland to benchmark and profile beverage cartons as a safe, circular, and sustainable packaging solution with low carbon benefits.


Why we need dedicated sorting of beverage cartons in Ireland's material recovery facilities

ACE Ireland strongly advocates for dedicated sorting of beverage cartons in Ireland’s material recovery facilities (MRFs) into a single stream which will significantly improve the recycling process of cartons placed on the Irish market.

In July 2023, ACE Ireland announced a major new partnership with Panda which included the installation of state-of-the-art robotic sorting technology at Ireland’s largest MRF in Ballymount, Dublin. Using ground-breaking artificial intelligence as accurate as the human eye, the robot will identify, pick and sort cartons at the MRF into their own dedicated streams. The sorted materials will then be sent onwards to the specialised carton recycling facility in the UK operated by Sonoco Stainland.

Mandy Kelly

Chief Executive, ACE Ireland

Mandy heads the operations of ACE in both the UK and Ireland, acting as the main spokesperson for the beverage carton industry with Government organisations, stakeholders, and the media.

She brings over 30 years’ experience in the recycling industry to the role. Prior to joining ACE, Mandy was Business Development Director for Palm Recycling Ltd based in the UK and serves as a member of the UK’s Confederation of Paper Industry’s Recovered Paper Committee.

About beverage cartons

Beverage cartons are a circular and sustainable nature-based packaging solution widely used by Irish households and businesses as part of everyday life. They protect the freshness, flavours and nutritional qualities of both fresh and long-life food and drink products, enabling distribution at ambient temperatures or under refrigerated conditions.

What are beverage cartons made of?

What are beverage cartons made of?

On average, beverage cartons are made from:

4%
Aluminium
A very fine layer of aluminium foil to protect drinks and food from light and oxygen, ensuring aroma and flavour retention.

21%
Polymers
Thin layers of low-density polyethylene to prevent leakage.

75%
Wood Fibre
The high-quality wood fibres in cartons are long lasting and strong, and can be recycled up to six times, making them a valuable raw material for new paper and board products, contributing to a circular economy.

On average, beverage cartons are made from:

4%
Aluminium
Protect drinks and food from light and oxygen, ensuring aroma and flavour retention.
21%
Polymers
Layers of low-density polyethylene prevent leakage.
85%
Wood Fibre
The high-quality wood fibres in cartons are long lasting and strong, and can be recycled up to six times, making them a valuable raw material for new paper and board products, contributing to a circular economy.

Sustainability

ACE Ireland members are committed to sourcing their wood fibre from responsibly managed forests, ensuring these forests remain a renewable resource for generations to come.

98% of the paperboard used by ACE members to produce beverage cartons in the EU comes from sustainably managed, European forests.

Five benefits of beverage cartons

Typically have a much lower carbon footprint when compared to alternative packaging solutions.

Space efficient and safe for transport and storage.

Contribute to food waste reduction.

Made with fewer fossil-fuel based materials than other beverage containers.

Fully recyclable and circular.

Carton Recycling

Beverage cartons are fully recyclable and are being widely recycled across the EU.

In Ireland, beverage cartons are included on the official MyWaste.ie recycling list, meaning households can place their used beverage cartons in their recycling bin for kerbside collection.

When placing beverage cartons in your recycling bin, ensure they are:

CLEAN

DRY

LOOSE

Learn how we recycle cartons at our dedicated plant

We welcome the Irish Government’s commitment to introduce specific packaging recovery and recycling targets for beverage cartons as set out in the Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy. This will help to drive more efficient sorting of beverage cartons across Ireland’s MRFs.

Three benefits of dedicated beverage carton sorting

Ensures all components of beverage cartons can be fully recycled.

Will help the industry measure and achieve beverage carton recycling targets once set.

Allows MRFs significantly increase the quality of target materials extracted from their mixed fibre and paper streams.

Ireland’s official My Waste household recycling list

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