Carlsberg develops paper beer bottle
Carlsberg A/S has seen the future of the beer bottle, and it’s made of paper.
The Danish brewer is presenting two research prototype bottles made from wood fibre and lined with a polymer barrier at the World Mayors Summit in Copenhagen on Friday. The company is also working with Coca-Cola Co., Pernod Ricard SA’s Absolut vodka and cosmetics giant L’Oreal SA on a project that aims to develop more sustainable packaging alternatives.
The world’s largest consumer-goods companies are working to reduce their environmental impact amid pressure from shoppers. Nestle SA has unveiled paper wrapping for Yes fruit and nut bars, while Unilever pledged earlier this week to halve its use of newly made plastic by 2025.
Carlsberg has also stopped using plastic rings, commonly associated with marine pollution, to hold its six-pack aluminum cans, instead using drops of glue to bind the beers.
“We continue to innovate across all our packaging formats, and we are pleased with the progress we’ve made on the Green Fibre Bottle so far. While we are not completely there yet, the two prototypes are an important step towards realising our ultimate ambition of bringing this breakthrough to market. Innovation takes time and we will continue to collaborate with leading experts in order to overcome remaining technical challenges, just as we did with our plastic-reducing Snap Pack,” said Myriam Shingleton, vice president Group Development at Carlsberg Group.
Myriam Shingleton continued: “The work with our partners since 2015 on the Green Fibre Bottle illustrates that this kind of innovation can happen when we work together. We’re delighted that other like-minded companies have now joined us as part of Paboco’s paper bottle community. Partnerships such as these, ones that are united by a desire to create sustainable innovations, are the best way to bring about real change.”