99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall; Let’s Talk Sustainable Packaging.
Take one down, pass it around… then figure out how to dispose of it all.
In recent news, Danish beer giant Carlsberg revealed its Green Fibre Bottle; the world’s first paper beer bottle made with sustainable and recyclable wood fibres. With an ‘inner barrier’ allowing it to hold beer, two prototypes were developed including one that uses a thin recycled PET polymer film barrier, and another that has a bio-based PEF polymer film barrier. Both are supposedly 100% bio-based and recyclable and will use significantly less energy to manufacture versus their previous glass bottle (if these Danes are correct, possibly as much as 70%).
The new bottle forms part of Carlsberg’s Together Towards Zero initiative, which includes a commitment to reach zero carbon emissions and a 30% reduction in its “full-value-chain carbon footprint” by 2030. Beyond carbon risk from their energy use, Carlsberg has recognized something else essential — that they have massive reputational risk. Every bottle they manufacture and deliver in the world, many of which end up in landfills, all bear their name. This is something Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Mondelez and others have found out the hard way.
So… what happens to these bottles and why does it matter?
Beer is typically sold in glass or aluminum and with Carlsberg adding this new category of wood fibre — the obvious question is, which one is more sustainable, if any? Switching from glass has upside. It is hated by many recyclers for its lack of resale value, ability to contaminate other materials, injure workers and tear bags. On the other hand, aluminum has some of the best rates of any material — it is highly recyclable, lightweight and safer than glass but can also come with heavy mining costs. Wood fibre, no matter how sustainable, requires tearing down forests to make paper, even though some amount can be upcycled pulp.
Tapping deep into our can-do attitudes to unbottle the truth behind the great beer-packaging debate might not be enough, and perhaps there is no answer — yet! Remember, there is currently no such thing as fully sustainable materials, only sustainable processes. This refers to methods that utilize materials as little as possible & as many times as possible before being upcycled, downcycled, or disposed of.
Although outcomes of the switch to paper bottles remain to be seen, we should applaud Carlsberg for working to minimize inputs and outputs, while also challenging other companies to compete as well as demanding that they work with governments to co-design sustainable systems. With its (sexy) sustainable play, as well as innovative and cool new look — could this be Denmark’s Next Top Bottle?!
Lauren Thurin, Vice President, Business Development
Kellen Parker, Head of Research
While Carlsberg is getting a ton of attention, Tennent’s Lager also just made a sustainability pledge with their ‘green T’ transformation. This plan includes a £14.2m investment that will retire plastic packaging, invest in green energy, and include environmentalism advocacy and waste management practices in the next few years.
Sustainable packaging isn’t merely about the end consumable product. Within the supply chain, protective packaging is critical to protecting products during transport, but oftentimes uses significant material that is non-recyclable or from unsustainable sources. The Sustainable Packaging Coalition launched an open challenge to identify solutions that can safely transport items in complex retail environments that also embody excellence in sustainability.
Trying to understand our beverage packaging is not a new phenomenon — it’s been playing on our minds for decades. Just watch The Gods Must Be Crazy, and you’ll see.
Additionally, as an Aussie, it would be remiss of me if I didn’t use this opportunity to remind people of one of the best beer ads of all time — just for pure pleasure.
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