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Carlsberg plans cardboard beer bottles
Carlsberg has announced plans to develop the “world’s first” fully biodegradable wood-fibre bottle.
The Green Fiber Bottle was unveiled at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, as part of a three-year project with packaging company ecoXpac, and in partnership with Innovation Fund Denmark and the Technical University of Denmark.
Made from sustainably sourced wood-fiber, all materials used in the bottle, including the cap, will be developed using bio-based and biodegradable materials.
Last week the beer can turned 80 years old, with this project perhaps marking the next phase in the future of beer packaging. Announcing its project, Carlsberg posted an image on its Instagram image depicting what its future bottle line could look like.
“Getting greener since 1847. Carlsberg and ecoXpac present the “Green Fiber Bottle” project. @carlsberggroup #wef15 #carlsberg #wood #bottle #green #ecoxpack,” it said.
Andraea Dawson-Shepherd, senior vice president for corporate affairs, said: “At Carlsberg we are firm believers in the importance of a circular economy in ensuring sustainable future growth and development on our planet, and today’s announcement is excellent news. If the project comes to fruition, as we think it will, it will mark a sea-change in our options for packaging liquids, and will be another important step on our journey towards a circular, zero-waste economy.”
Carsberg’s plans form part of the Carlsberg Circular Community (CCC), a co-operation between Carlsberg and selected partners whose aim is to pursue a circular, zero-waste economy.
Last year similar technology was developed by UK-based GreenBottle, which saw a US line of paper wine bottles by Paso Robles winery Paper Boy launched in the US. However GreenBottle went into administration just five months after the line made its debut.
That company used a plastic bladder inside a cardboard bottle, however Carlsberg’s bottles are planned to be produced in one piece using an inner coating that will decompose naturally.
The Carlsberg Group owns 500 beer brands including Kronenbourg, Elephant, Tuborg, and Baltika.
Click here to check out some of the green initiatives currently being employed by wineries around the world.
About 50 years ago I toured Sweden and was intrigued by a beer bottle that consisted of a cardboard spiral-wound core cover that contained a very thin-walled plastic bottle. The core carried the name of the brewery that I think was “Three Cities”. I believe this referred to Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmo where their breweries were located. The design was such that if discarded in the open, rain would destroy the cardboard structure and expose the thin plastic bottle to sunlight. At the time I thought the unique design would be good for sports stadiums where bottle throwing often resulted in injuries.