"Milk Stays Fresh for a Year Without Refrigeration"... The Secret Behind 70 Years as the World's No. 1 Company [Corporate Lab]

(17) Swedish Food Packaging Specialist Tetra Pak
Continuous Research Since Patent Acquisition in 1944
Aseptic Technology Enables Long-Term Preservation

Editor's Note
The scale of research and development (R&D) spending by Korean companies ranked second in the world in 2022, and the number of patent applications in the United States ranked fourth in 2020. However, the annual average growth rate of corporate productivity dropped significantly from 6.1% between 2001 and 2010 to 0.5% between 2011 and 2020. This is because productivity growth among so-called “innovative companies” that actively engage in innovation activities has slowed. Without change, companies will be ignored by the market. We will examine cases of innovation pioneered by leading global companies to help revive the innovation DNA of the Korean industrial sector. Innovative companies will be the driving force to revive Korea’s stagnant economic growth rate.

When you look at the beverage shelves in a convenience store, you’ll notice that even products from competing brands are often packaged in similar cartons. If you turn them over, you’ll find the “Tetra Pak” logo stamped on all of them. These are cartons made by Tetra Pak, which has maintained its position as the world’s number one manufacturer of food and beverage containers for over 70 years. Last year, Tetra Pak sold 178 billion cartons in more than 160 countries. If we assume the average height of a carton is 10 cm and stack them, the total would be about 46 times the distance from the Earth to the Moon-384,000 km. It is highly likely that everyone in the world has consumed a beverage from a Tetra Pak carton at least once a year.

The history goes back 81 years. In 1944, founder Ruben Rausing conceived of a pyramid-shaped carton (Tetra Classic). At that time in Europe, milk or juice was sold in glass bottles. Glass bottles were heavy and easily broken. While studying in the United States, Rausing saw milk being sold in paper containers coated with wax, and inspired by this, he developed a new pyramid-shaped container.

A woman is choosing a beverage packaged in a Tetra Pak container at a grocery store. Tetra Pak

His wife also contributed an idea, helping him find a way to package milk continuously without interruption. Like the process of making sausages-where the casing is filled with meat and then cut at regular intervals-paper was fed into a machine, folded into a pyramid shape as milk was poured in, and sealed at intervals. Based on this, Rausing developed a technology that eliminated the air gap created when filling milk, reducing oxygen exposure and preventing spoilage.

Although he obtained a patent for his packaging technology, it took seven years to commercialize it. Tetra Pak was established in 1951. Manufacturing required automated packaging technology and large-scale production, which was not easy to achieve. However, Rausing, with his experience in the United States, was convinced that distribution would become the core of future industries. He wanted to create packaging that was sturdy and lightweight while maintaining the freshness of its contents. After discussions with Swedish paper companies and overseas chemical firms, he developed a machine to produce cartons with a multi-layered structure.

Rausing’s innovations did not stop there. Ten years after its founding, in 1961, the company developed the world’s first aseptic carton, the type still used today. The aseptic carton consists of six layers of paper, aluminum, and polyethylene, which completely block out oxygen, microorganisms, light, and moisture from the outside. This made it possible to store products at room temperature for long periods without refrigeration. The aseptic system was also developed, allowing beverages to be preserved in a sterile state for over a year.

Tetra Pak, which describes innovation as its DNA, has launched about 50 different types of cartons, each with unique features, and has established six in-house R&D centers, seven customer innovation centers, and eight technical training centers.

Tetra Pak’s aseptic carton is the result of practicality and science combined. One of Tetra Pak’s containers was designed after analyzing the average nose height and other body structures of people worldwide to make it easier to drink by tilting the head back. For elderly people and patients with weak grip strength, the company developed cartons with caps that are easy to open with minimal effort. Depending on the beverage, there are cartons shaped for the most comfortable grip during exercise. While the contents are thoroughly protected from the outside, a space is also provided for children to insert a straw.

One of the secrets behind Tetra Pak’s 70-year reign as the industry leader is that it does not simply focus on packaging. The company takes responsibility for every step of the product process and actively collaborates with clients to ensure safety and quality. Eunjeong Oh, Vice President of Communications at Tetra Pak Korea, said, “We provide end-to-end solutions, covering every stage from the production of paper cartons to the filling of contents. Through packaging that considers the entire process, Tetra Pak has established a reputation in the industry for protecting products safely.”

At the entrance of Tetra Pak Korea headquarters located in Jung-gu, Seoul, early Tetra Pak containers along with the latest products are displayed together in one place. Photo by Lee Hyunju

“Good packaging must create value beyond its cost”

True to the words of founder Rausing, Tetra Pak is striving to enhance the recyclability of its packaging. From 2012 to 2019, the company invested 23 million euros to build collection and recycling infrastructure for aseptic paper cartons, and secured more than 170 recycling facilities worldwide. Recently, the company introduced artificial intelligence (AI) to connect equipment and systems across its factories, enabling integrated data management and real-time operational monitoring. This allows for more customized operations tailored to client needs. Vice President Oh added, “The founder’s innovative philosophy continues to this day.”