Signaling a shared commitment to sustainability, four leading carton manufacturers — Tetra Pak, Elopak, Evergreen Packaging and SIG Combibloc — have established the Carton Council to help increase carton recycling in the United States.

The council plans to promote both recycling technology and local collection programs. It will also encourage consumers to consider the environmental impact of product packaging before they make a purchase. As examples, both gable top and aseptic cartons are made primarily from paper, a renewable resource that is highly recyclable.

The $35 billion U.S. market for food and beverage packaging has plenty of opportunities for growth in sustainable packaging options, according to a new report on paper, plastic, metal, glass and flexible packaging for the food and beverage industries. According to the second annual Beverage Container Recycling Scorecard and Report, most beverage companies continued to fail basic criteria for dealing with environmental implications of their packaging.

According to the Carton Council only 26 states have communities that are able to recycle carton. One of the first alliances established by the council to increase carton recycling is with Waste Management, which has agreed to include cartons in all its recycling programs.

Tropicana, Waste Management, Dean Foods and the Carton Council launched a pilot program in Tampa, Fla., to promote carton recycling, reported Environmental Protection. The initiative is now expanding to include all areas that Waste Management has recycling processing facilities.

Tropicana, Waste Management and the Carton Council also announced a national campaign to increase carton recycling to every community in the U.S. The paper board used in Tropicana’s juice cartons has received certification to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) fiber sourcing standard.

利乐包、艾罗派克、唯绿包装、康美包等四大纸箱生产商已经建立了纸箱理事会促进纸箱在美国的循环利用。这是四大生产商共同承诺可持续发展的一项标志。

理事会计划促进循环利用技术的发展并促进纸箱在各地的收集。 理事会还将采取行动鼓励消费者在购买产品前首先考虑产品包装对环境的影响。 例如，山顶形包装盒和无菌盒通常都是纸制的，而如果采用可再生材料制造，就可以更好的回收利用。

一份关于纸、塑料、金属、玻璃及柔性材料等食品及饮料包装材料的报告最近指出，美国食品及饮料包装业有350亿美元的市场，在发展可持续包装业方面有很好的机会和潜力。 据第二次年度饮料容器循环利用评分及报告显示，多数饮料公司在解决其饮料包装对环境的影响方面依然达不到最基本的要求。

纸箱理事会称，全国只有26个州，其社区拥有回收纸箱的能力。 最近，纸箱理事会与废弃物管理组织达成合作，废弃物管理组织同意将纸箱纳入其循环再利用规划。

据环境保护的报道，为了促进纸箱的循环利用，纯品康纳、废弃物管理组织、迪安食品及纸箱理事会在佛罗里达坦帕市开展了一项试点项目。 现在已经计划在全部有废弃物管理组织回收利用处理设施的地区开展纸箱回收利用活动。

纯品康纳、废弃物管理组织、及纸箱理事会已经在全国范围内发起号召，希望能增加每个社区的纸箱循环利用。纯品康纳所采用的果汁包装箱已经通过了永续森林计划纤维原料标准的认证。