Questions first, explanation underneath,
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Are tetra-pak containers actually better for the environment? Or is it a bit of a con?
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Would powdered Oat milk be better than tetra-pak, or other containers?
I’m getting into Oat milk, been a long time coming, finally just getting on and doing it.
We’ve ordered some Nimbus powdered online. But for now I’ve been drinking from the Tetra-pak Oat milks. Brands were Vitasoy and Oatley (apparently they’re shipped from Europe? Wtf?).
I looked up thinkstep anz’s comparative assessment of tetra-paks impacts and it comes out top. But this seems about as independent as a trouts flipper, so i’m not sure i trust their conclusion.
Any answers, or guidance would be muchly appreciated. :)
I also found it difficult to find independent information, when I researched this a while ago. It seems like the Tetra Pak company is flooding the zone with shit.
But from a logical point of view, Tetra Paks sound like an attempt to create the least recyclable packaging possible. It’s several layers of plastic, paper and aluminium, all glued together.
This has also been my thought since forever. But it doesn’t seem to be reflected in the aisle.
Recycling, and circular economy can be great, (alluminium cans might be the single best example of it), but it doesn’t mean single use is definitely always going to be worse for the environment.
I’d imagine the venn diagram for the Soy, Almond, Oat milk drinker, and an environmentally conscious customer must have a heavy overlap.
So why do companies that ostensibly target an environmentally conscious and highly active customer almost exclusively choose tetra-pak?
Yeah, I kind of hate it, too. I’m actually from Germany, and the thing is that milk is practically never sold in anything but Tetra Pak or a competing non-septic carton over here. If you’re trying to sell as milk, you just can’t show up dressed in a glass bottle.
And well, if that’s the situation here in Germany, I imagine, it’s been like that even earlier in Sweden, where both Tetra Pak and Oatly originate. To my knowledge, Oatly was one of the pioneers of plant-based milk, so them picking Tetra Pak probably influenced other plant-based milks, too.
Well, and ultimately, the Tetra Pak company flooding the zone with shit probably influences public opinion, too. If their customers had a clear opinion that Tetra Pak is trash, you would quickly find a brand that would sell in glass bottles instead. Well, at least here in Germany, I can buy like ten different brands of oat milk, and some of them could really use a unique selling point.
Oh yeah, i always find it interesting visiting another country’s grocery stores, theres always little uniquely different quirks. I think its only the long life milk in Aus that you’ll find in a tetra-pak, when it comes to cows milk that is. The main way people get it here are the plastic hdpe cartons 2l or 3l.
Oh, hadn’t thouggt of this. This could easily be the whole reason here. Its so interesting how these partnerships often arise out of convenience and closeness.
Yep.
@Ephera @Gorgritch_umie_killa this seems a good way to go: oat powder in a can made of paper. 360g oat powder gets you 4l oatdrink just by adding water.
Ooh, i like that packaging. Powdered is the route i’m hoping to take long term, hopefully it’ll be delivered this week. Different brand though (nimbus), i think they’re using plastic sacks not as cool as this.