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COPENHAGEN, Denmark, June 22, 2022 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

In its largest pilot to date, Carlsberg Group has today revealed the trial of

its new Fibre Bottle, putting the bio-based and fully recyclable beer bottle

into the hands of consumers for the first time. With a continued focus on

evolving technology and sustainable practices, the bottle also contains beer

brewed with organic and regenerative barley.

The pilot, which is vital to accelerating Carlsberg's ambition of making the

beer bottle a commercial reality, will see 8,000 Fibre Bottles being sampled in

eight Western European markets: Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, United

Kingdom, Poland, Germany and France. The bottles will be placed into the hands

of local consumers, customers and other stakeholders through select festivals

and flagship events, as well as targeted product samplings. Testing at this

scale will give Carlsberg the opportunity to gather feedback on people's

experiences of the product, which will inform the next generation of design.

The new Fibre Bottle leverages the potential of PEF

A significant milestone for the Fibre Bottle is its plant-based PEF polymer

lining, which has been developed by Carlsberg's partner Avantium, a leading

expert in renewable chemistry. PEF is made entirely from natural raw materials,

is compatible with plastic recycling systems, and can degrade into nature

should it end up outside national recycling systems. Beyond its sustainable

packaging benefits, PEF functions as a highly effective barrier between the

beer and the fibre outer shell, protecting the taste and fizziness of the beer

better than conventional fossil-fuel-based PET plastic.

The outer shell of the bottle, produced by the packaging company Paboco,

consists of sustainably-sourced wood fibre and is also bio-based. This shell

has the added benefit of insulative properties which can help keep beer colder

for longer, compared to cans or glass bottles.

Stephane Munch, VP Group Development at Carlsberg, says: "We are delighted to

bring our new Fibre Bottle into the hands of consumers, allowing them to

experience it for themselves. This pilot will serve a greater purpose in

testing the production, performance and recycling of this product at scale."

"Identifying and producing PEF, as a competent functional barrier for beer, has

been one of our greatest challenges - so getting good test results,

collaborating with suppliers and seeing the bottles being filled on the line is

a great achievement!"

The bottle is 100% bio-based apart from the cap, which is currently needed to

ensure the quality of the product, and together the bottle and cap are fully

recyclable. Going forward, Paboco, Carlsberg and partners in the wider Paper

Bottle Community are exploring alternative fibre-based bottle caps, with a

generic solution expected in 2023. Carlsberg will continue development,

together with Avantium and Paboco, to arrive at a tailored 3.0 solution that is

equally suitable for primary beer packaging, using this year's consumer

feedback and Paboco's developments.

Brewed with unconventional barley

Advancements have not been limited to the bottle itself, as Carlsberg has also

bottled a more sustainable brew for its 2022 consumer trials. In collaboration

with barley malt supplier Soufflet, Carlsberg has brewed a beer with barley

that has been cultivated using fully organic and regenerative agricultural

practices. More specifically, cover crops have been grown in the organic barley

fields to contribute some additional benefits of regenerative farming.

While consumers can still expect the same distinctive Carlsberg taste, the

methods used to farm the barley are set to improve farmland biodiversity,

enhance soil health, and increase natural carbon sequestration by the soil

versus conventional farming methods.

The constant pursuit of better

Generation 2.0 of the Fibre Bottle already performs better than the single-use

glass bottle in the product´s lifecycle assessment, and Carlsberg has even

greater ambitions for the subsequent Generation 3.0 design. Carlsberg's vision,

supported by current projections, is for the Fibre Bottle to achieve up to 80%

less emissions than current single-use glass bottles.

Thus, for every single-use glass bottle created, five Fibre Bottles could be

created using the same carbon footprint. Ultimately, Carlsberg is aiming for

the Fibre Bottle to achieve the same low carbon footprint as the refillable

glass bottle, which is currently the best- performing primary packaging when

collected and reused in efficient systems. When the Fibre Bottle is

commercialised at scale, it will expand Carlsberg consumers' choice and

complement, rather than replace, existing packaging like glass bottles and cans.

Simon Boas Hoffmeyer, Group Sustainability Director at Carlsberg, adds: "The

progress made with our new Fibre Bottle is testament to Carlsberg's pioneering

spirit, with a focus on making better products in every sense of the word.

We've been working hard on this project since 2015, and aim to continue to set

the industry standard by further improving the bottle's environmental footprint

and product performance. Collaboration is key and, together with our partners,

we're excited to see how research and development into sustainable packaging

solutions is now becoming the norm."

The trial precedes the global launch of Carlsberg's ambitious ESG programme,

Together Towards Zero and Beyond, which will build on existing sustainability

performance and momentum to take on new ambitions within sustainable

agriculture and sustainable packaging, ultimately enabling Carlsberg to reduce

its carbon impacts across the full value chain.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1843958/Carlsberg.jpg

Source: Carlsberg Group