Juhi Gupta, Director Sustainability – South Asia Markets at Tetra Pak, discusses circular packaging design, inclusive recycling systems, and social impact innovation in an interview with Rajiv Tikoo of Sustainability Karma.
When people hold a carton, they rarely think about its second life. For Juhi, however, every layer of that carton—from the paperboard to the polymer—is a deliberate design choice that shapes long-term environmental outcomes. She explains that sustainability in packaging goes beyond the idea of being “eco-friendly” and instead requires building systems that connect innovation, people, and inclusion.
Juhi emphasises the importance of creating linkages across the entire value chain—connecting design laboratories to waste pickers, consumers to recyclers, and technological innovation to livelihoods. She says Tetra Pak’s sustainability journey reflects this systemic approach, built over more than 20 years of collaboration with recyclers, innovators, Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), and local communities.
She points to recent efforts that deepen this commitment, including a three-year social impact initiative for waste workers launched in partnership with PepsiCo and the Responsible Sourcing Initiative. The programme focuses on improving working conditions, income security, and social recognition for waste collectors, who play a crucial role in keeping recycling systems functional.
On the product side, Juhi highlights advances in fibre based packaging that eliminate the need for aluminium layers, cutting carbon emissions by nearly one-third. She also draws attention to digital innovation, citing applications such as Kabadiwala, which streamline waste collection by treating it as an on demand service bringing efficiency, transparency, and dignity to the informal waste sector.
For Juhi, these efforts demonstrate what meaningful innovation looks like: local in design, circular in intent, and alive within communities. She concludes that it is time to shift how packaging is perceived not as waste to be discarded, but as a story of possibility shaped by thoughtful design, collaboration, and shared responsibility.