PD Ďumbier reduces plastic by 80% with switch from PET to Pure-Pak® cartons
Slovakian dairy PD Ďumbier has changed its plastic bottles for Pure-Pak® Sense cartons with Natural Brown Board for all its Agravital fresh milk and yoghurt products. By switching from PET bottles to cartons, Ďumbier has reduced plastic consumption by 80% for its chilled beverage packaging.
This initiative by the Ďumbier Agricultural Cooperative, based in Brenzo in central Slovakia, aims to reduce plastic and packaging waste by introducing fully recyclable cartons made from renewable materials. A commitment to artisanal quality and modern dairy and packaging technology go hand in hand at the Cooperative. Under the Agravital brand, the Ďumbier supplies local retailers from small shops to supermarket chains including Kaufland and COOP.
One of the most modern and largest small dairies in Slovakia
Founded in 1976, the dairy refers to itself as one of the most modern and largest small dairies in Slovakia. One of its unique qualities is that Ďumbier only uses fresh milk from pasture roaming cattle in the Horehronie region processed on the day of milking. For its landmark shift from plastic to cartons, and in partnership with Elopak, PD Ďumbier has invested in a completely new carton filling line for all fresh milk products.
The new filling line has quadrupled our filling capacity compared to the PET line. Until now, consumers in Eastern Europe have mainly associated carton packaging with long-life UHT milk. I am firmly convinced that consumer preference in the fresh segment will soon change thanks to marketing support and EU legislation.
Peter Lukáč, General Director, Ďumbier Cooperative
Ďumbier previously bottled its products in PET bottles. One of the primary goals of the cooperative’s packaging transition was to adopt a visibly more environmentally friendly solution. “We entered milk processing as farmers to provide consumers with high-quality, farm-made products. A premium product also deserves premium, timeless packaging with an appealing design. That’s why we decided to switch to packaging that is more ecological and better recyclable than PET,” adds Peter Lukáč.
The Pure-Pak® Sense carton with Natural Brown Board conveys brand values
The new packaging concept perfectly conveys the company’s commitment to environmental protection and resource conservation. The beverage carton with Natural Brown Board was chosen deliberately to ensure the sustainable and artisanal claim stands out on the shelf. The natural color and the visible fiber structure of the paper board underline the ecological brand values. One of the main reasons for the switch of packaging was also that Agravital can give consumers much more information about the brand on the space provided on a carton compared to a bottle label.