Cartons for Good
How we tackle the challenge of food loss and waste
As part of the Food+ commitment, SIG aims to increase the volume of nutritious food and beverages in SIG’s long-lift packaging by 50% by 2030 (from a 2020 baseline). This ambitious goal aligns with SIG’s dedication to positive societal impact through sustainability.
What we do
We believe in the power of partnerships and work closely with all stakeholders to achieve our goals. Cartons for Good is a value-driven initiative that utilized SIG’s expertise in filling, fosters collaboration, preserves surplus food, and provides nutrition to those in need. By joining forces, we aim to create a sustainable impact that benefits local communities.
The journey of our pilot project in Bangladesh
How it works
In many emerging economies, significant portions of produced food are wasted due to inadequate storage and inefficient supply chains. Cartons for Good tackles this problem by converting surplus food into nutritious products that support vulnerable populations, enhance food security, and promote sustainable development.
In Bangladesh, where we are piloting our initiative, despite widespread malnutrition, food loss remains high. Our project compensates farmers for their surplus vegetables, which are then processed and preserved in SIG carton packs. These packs provide nutritious meals to people in need and schoolchildren, helping to keep them in school and offering better prospects for their future.
Completing the cycle
Cartons for Good is committed to sustainability. In each of our projects, we partner with stakeholders to support the collection and recycling of our cartons to turn them e.g., into strong paperboard for new products, like shoeboxes and book covers. This recycling effort emphasizes environmentally friendly methods and underscores our dedication to closing the loop on packaging waste.
Looking to the future
Looking to the future, we want to scale the initiative, in and outside Bangladesh, making sure that Cartons for Good continues to enhance our positive social impact in communities all around the world. To drive the initiative forward, we will collaborate closely with our customers, utilizing SIG technology.
In Thailand, we are joining forces with Ampol Food to turn surplus longkong and mango into nutrition for elderly people with oral health issues.
In Egypt, we are partnering with the NRCP (Natural Resources and Climate Protection) Foundation, a local NGO, to study potential implementations of Cartons for Good in the country.
From waste to worth
The issue of food loss
Although nearly 20 per cent of the population are malnourished and almost half the children are underweight, lots of food goes to waste every day in Bangladesh. Each year at harvest-time, farmers produce more food than they need and with no way to preserve the surplus crops, the food rots and is thrown away.
Challenges to schooling in Bangladesh
Children living in Bangladeshi urban slums face many barriers when it comes to going to and staying in school – in fact, only half of the children living in these areas end up attending school. Aspects like low family income and high population density amplify the problem. Often, in order to ensure the family has something to eat, children have to drop out of school to contribute as manual labourers. This deprives the country of needed talent as well as thousands of children of their hopes and dreams.
The pioneers of our project
To see how and where we could make a difference in Bangladesh, the SIG Foundation sent out a team to explore the situation first-hand. They talked to everyone from farmers to community leaders.
They also learnt a great deal by talking to BRAC, an international development organisation, as well as local SIG colleagues. Through these on-the-ground discussions, the Cartons for Good project began to take shape.
Using SIG’s technology and expertise
SIG is one of the world’s leading solution providers for the food and beverage industry within the field of packaging and filling technology.
To make Cartons for Good work, we needed to come up with a unique filling solution. SIG’s engineers soon overcame this challenge by developing a downsized and mobile filling line that is easy to operate and maintain locally. They created a system that uses boil-down technology to cook and preserve food in SIG SafeBloc packages.
Realising our dream
Mid- 2019, we turned the first food-loss affected vegetables into nutritious meals. BRAC distributed the first packs to schools in the urban slums of Dhaka. We began to realize our dream of saving vegetables affected by food loss and at the same time giving children the essential nutrition they need and a better chance of an education.
As the Cartons for Good pilot project continued, SIG experts trained local communities to use our mobile filling unit to cook and preserve surplus vegetables to create school meals.
Children-inspired packaging
As Cartons for Good is also a story about children, we wanted them to be part of our journey. SIG employees told children the story of farmer Rakib who brings his leftover pumpkins to us, so they can be used to feed local schoolchildren.
Storybook - Children-inspired packaging
The children were then asked to draw pictures. We received over 120 colourful drawings with which we created a truly unique design for our Cartons for Good Food packages in Bangladesh. We used some of the pictures to create a storybook.
Support us in making a real impact
Cartons for Good is more than just a project; it is a transformative initiative that addresses critical issues, fosters partnerships, and showcases our commitment to making a positive global impact. We operate with transparency, accountability, and respect for all stakeholders involved.
Join us in our mission to provide nutrition for the underserved while reducing food waste and food loss. Your expertise, resources, or support can help us scale Cartons for Good and extend its benefits to even more communities. Together, we can create a win-win for vulnerable people, and our environment.
Learn more
Discover how Cartons for Good aligns with our vision for sustainable development and how you can contribute to its ongoing success.
Enhancing farmers’ livelihoods
Thanks to this innovative solution, farmers in the Balia region of Bangladesh can now bring their excess crops to be turned into meals that are packed in our carton packages. The farmers are paid for their produce, providing them with much-needed additional income.
