"So that we don't get ripped off, there is an easier way to open yogurt, which in the past stirred up a lot of spirits and often angered fans of dairy products. Finally, we don't need a tap or a fork anymore, because this time it's really very simple. No torn cap or dirty t-shirt. This is the past, our present is completely different - above all, elegant and very convenient. You open it and it doesn't tear, really perfect," TV presenter Jože Robežnik welcomed the new way of opening Ljubljanske mlekarni products in his humorous style on his YouTube channel.
Mu yogurts, fresh milk and sweet cream and Ego yogurts are now available in packaging Tetra Pak® with an easy opening method with one twist of the cap. These are also the only Slovenian yogurts in Tetra Pak packaging, which is mainly made of renewable resources. In order to change, Ljubljanske mlekarne started a new, modern filling machine based on an investment worth 3 million euros.
Everyone can contribute to a cleaner environment
“Around 85 percent of all the quantities we produce in the form of dairy products are packaged in composite carton packaging. In Slovenia, people know her best by her name Tetra Pak. We use about 15 percent of plastic packaging. Our brands Alpine, Mu, Ego are mostly packed in Tetra Pak packaging, which mainly consists of renewable material, and thus has been helping to reduce the company's impact on the environment for many years. The cardboard packaging is easy to recycle, and the FSC™ label on the packaging ensures that the cardboard is made from wood obtained from responsibly managed forests," he points out Simona Papler, head of ecology at Ljubljanske mlekarne. Among other things, they implement the latter through the socially responsible activity With an ear for tomorrow, which also includes a communication campaign "Pick up your EGO and throw away your plastic". They joined forces with Tetra Pak, Ecologist without Borders and the Diving Association of Slovenia. They are convinced that each of us can contribute a lot to a cleaner environment and the reuse of waste packaging. In addition to carefully separating waste at home, we can also pick up waste in the environment and take it to the nearest trash can. Employers should ensure that employees can also at the workplace separate waste. As they do in Ljubljanske mlekarne, where they have miniature ecological islands on every floor of the office building, and employees are also regularly educated about caring for the environment.
Sustainability orientation of the company
Therefore, companies also play an increasingly important role in the sustainable orientation of society, which with innovative approaches can greatly contribute to reduction of packaging waste. In the circular economy, it is true that waste must not remain waste, but is a source or raw material for new products. Z closed loop economy, in which ecologically conscious consumers also participate, the lifespan of products is extended. In this way, we preserve natural resources, less waste accumulates in landfills, and various reusable materials are efficiently circulated on the market, which only strengthens the ecological way of doing business and living. "Ljubljansk dairies have been resolutely walking the path of gradually reducing their carbon footprint for many years, as we are aware that every company must rethink its business processes also from the point of view of environmental responsibility. We also have an ecology sector within the quality department.
Quality and responsible environmental management go hand in hand," he says Maja Kalan Pongrac, head of corporate communication at Ljubljanske mlekarne, adding: “Since the launch EMAS certificate, which we received as the first company in the food processing industry, we steadily reduce emissions into the environment, control the consumption of natural resources, and in our production facilities we have installed our own purification plants and established a well-thought-out waste separation system." The EMAS scheme obliges companies to constantly monitor their impact on the environment (waste, water, energy efficiency, material efficiency) and naturally reduce it. At the largest Slovenian milk producer Ljubljana dairies attention to the environment is woven into the company's DNA. Thus, over the past years, they also stopped using single-use plastic for various sensory evaluations of products in the company, as well as for promotions and tastings in stores.
Attitude towards the environment and all living beings
Simona Papler points out that "during the production of dairy products in our plant, approximately 150 tons of waste is generated annually - various pieces, trimmings - all of this from cardboard packaging. This waste packaging is collected separately, compacted, and then collected by a waste management company and taken to a paper mill. There, with a special process, they separate the waste packaging and make new products from it - paper towels, handkerchiefs, napkins..." In 2019, Ljubljanske Mlekarne took another step forward and were the first in Slovenia to close internal material loop for Tetra Pak packaging, in which they also fill yogurts Ego and Mu. With this, they closed the processing of waste materials to their production and entrepreneurial circle.
As Simona Papler explains: "This means that we buy the hygiene material we need in our company from the paper mill that makes towels and toilet paper from our waste. The towels used by our 600 employees to wipe their hands are made from Alpine milk or Mu yogurt packaging. To such material circle everyone at home can contribute when they buy Mu or Ego yogurt and dispose of the empty packaging properly. That's why we ecologists like to emphasize that every step counts." Most of the packaging is thus recycled and raw material for new products is obtained. Mu and Ego yogurts are also the only yogurts from renewable cardboard Tetra Pak packaging on the Slovenian market. This packaging is easy to recycle: if it is properly flattened after use, it will take up little space in the containers, and sorting and sorting is also easier. Therefore, participants in the communication campaign "Pick up your EGO and throw away your plastic" they emphasize that each of us can contribute a lot to a cleaner environment by properly disposing and separating waste.
With sustainable approaches and production processes, they become companies set an example in responsible handling of packaging. With their attitude towards the environment, they have a significant impact on the quality of life and thus the health of a society oriented towards a green future. However, it is about future generations, which are already waiting for them due to the destruction of the environment, excessive depletion of natural resources, pollution of water resources and air big challenges. "As the largest Slovenian dairy, we are aware that the progress of the Slovenian dairy industry in the direction of organic and sustainable depends to a large extent on us as well. We are the ones who lead the development, and with our quantities we are the key point of contact between Slovenian farmers, traders and buyers. In recent years, we have been using our market and communication influence to guide sustainable operations, both at the company level and by supporting important environmental projects," summed up Maja Kalan Pongrac.
