LSDH to Launch SIG's Aluminum-Free Carton in France

A carton of orange juice with no aluminum layer: that is what the food group LSDH wants to put on shelves in France. The product will be sold under a store brand (private label) by a retailer whose name remains confidential, with arrival in stores expected in December 2026. This is the SIG Terra Alu-free Full Barrier carton, and it marks its first commercial application in France, for packaging developed over sixteen years.

The packaging weighs heavily on LSDH's footprint: it accounts for 13% of the 1.2 million tonnes of CO2 the group emits each year. In a standard aseptic carton, an aluminum layer provides the protective barrier. In May 2025, SIG unveiled what it describes as the first solution in the world without an aluminum layer that offers complete protection for large-format aseptic cartons, with the same shelf life as standard cartons.

The material is more than 80% paper and relies on only two main raw materials, which SIG says come from renewable sources. To replace the aluminum, the carton incorporates an ultrafine polymer barrier that is fossil-based “for now,” according to Elisabeth Hecht, managing director of SIG France. To block light, the paperboard layer is slightly thicker, and the cap combines polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene. The impact on the carbon footprint is reduced by 19%, according to L'Usine Nouvelle, without specifying the baseline for this comparison.

LSDH did not choose at random: the group tested the solutions of the three leading European producers, SIG, Tetra Pak and Elopak. The necessary adjustments are described as “minor.” One point of attention was checking the seals and their compliance. The group is also starting tests on milk and cream, which are only just beginning.

For LSDH, the gain is first and foremost carbon-related, on a packaging item that accounts for 13% of a total of 1.2 million tonnes of CO2 per year. For buyers, arrival on shelves is expected in December 2026, for orange juice only. In Germany, ALDI is starting with grape juice under its Rio d'oro brand, initially in part of the country, according to Packaging Strategies, in a one-litre carton of the same type.