Forests are crucial for carbon storage and the production of oxygen, both of which are essential for human survival on the planet. They also aid in the management of the hydrological cycle, the purification of water, the provision of wildlife habitats, and the reduction of global warming by absorbing greenhouse gases, containing waste, and, most importantly, conserving soil. In Nigeria, deforestation became a huge problem in the last decades due to heavy land use and the illegal burning of forests. To help to decrease deforestation the Nigerian company Onward Paper Mill teamed up with Tetra Pak to recycle beverage cartons from juice and beer in Nigeria.

Nigeria has one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world, According to Global Forest Watch, from 2010-2020 the country lost 97.8kha from 10.9Mha of natural forest which is equivalent to 22.3Mt of CO₂ of emissions. The area of forest which was destroyed each year is about the size of Istanbul. 

To decrease deforestation in Nigeria, the company Onward Paper Mill teamed up with Tetra Pak to recycle beverage cartons to transform it into new packaging materials. The raw materials which will be used for new packaging products will come from landfills and other waste disposal sites in Nigeria.

Nevertheless, recycling faces many obstacles due to the complexity of different materials used for the beverage cartons. They are made up of around 75% cardboard, 20% plastic and 5% aluminium foil which makes it difficult to transform them into recycled material. According to the Action Alliance for Recycling Beverage Cartons (AARC), the recycling of one-tonne beverage cartons waste saves 17 trees, 1060 litres of oil, 4000 kW of electricity and more than 25 m3 of water.