According to Simon Boas Hoffmeyer, director of group sustainability at Carlsberg Group, making and enjoying a quality beer is serious business, as is lessening the CPG's impact on the environment.
Closing out the Sustainability in Packaging Europe conference in Barcelona, Hoffmeyer says that Carlsberg is working hard to reduce the Danish beer company’s production impact on the planet.
To address issues of climate change and work within the boundaries of the Paris Agreement, Carlsberg Group’s “Together Towards ZERO” campaign includes the following targets:
- Have zero water waste by halving water usage at their breweries by 2030.
- Have a zero carbon footprint by eliminating all carbon emissions at Carlsberg breweries by 2030, with a 30 percent reduction in the carbon footprint of “beer-in-hand."
Packaging materials make up 40 percent of Carlsberg’s carbon footprint, and to this end, Carlsberg is also taking the following steps towards sustainability in their packaging:
Using recycled shrink – Using 100 percent recycled shrink has up to a 60 percent lower CO2 impact than virgin shrink. About 30 percent of the shrink’s recycled content comes from Carlsberg breweries and about 70 percent from post-industrial or post-consumer plastic recycling. Hoffmeyer says that Carlsberg is hoping to close the materials loop by using more recycled content, thereby increasing the demand for recycled content.
Coating for refillable bottles – A wax coating is applied to Carlsberg’s refillable glass bottles after washing on the packaging line, to reduce the scuffing that appears after multiple uses. The bottles look new, and applying the coating can double the bottle’s lifetime, lessening the overall environmental impact by keeping them in rotation longer.
Snap Pack – An innovative glue technology holds cans together in a multipack without using shrink, reducing plastic usage by 50-76 percent (a recycled-plastic handle is still used to carry the multipack). Using less material reduces CO2 emissions and the reliance on fossil fuel-based packaging materials. Hoffmeyer said that when all 4, 6 & 8-packs have been converted to Snap Packs, Carlsberg will save 1200 metric tons of plastic annually – the equivalent of 60 million plastic bags.
Learn more about Carlsberg or the Sustainability in Packaging Europe conference. For previous articles from the 2018 conference, click here.
Learn more about sustainable packaging solutions at PACK EXPO Las Vegas, September 23-25, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Originally posted 11/27/2018
