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