The Carlsberg Group, a beer maker, has invented a new packaging using recycled paper to make beer bottles. It showed two new research prototypes of the world’s first “paper bottle” for beer – Green Fiber Bottle – made of fibers obtained from responsibly managed forests.
These are the first beer bottles made of environmentally friendly wood fibers that are 100% natural and recyclable. The packaging has a special internal coating, thanks to which the bottles can be filled with beer. One of the prototypes uses a thin layer of recycled PET polymer film barrier, and the other uses a 100% natural PEF polymer film barrier.
Both prototypes will be used for testing to check the barrier properties of individual materials, i.e., whether they protect the drink or not. Carlsberg wants to develop a bottle that is 100% will be made of organic materials (bio-based bottle), without the use of synthetic polymers (non-biodegradable).
“We are constantly looking for new packaging solutions and are pleased with the results we have achieved with the Green Fiber Bottle,” said Myriam Shingleton, Vice President, Development, Carlsberg Group, in a release. “While we are not completely there yet, the two prototypes are an important step towards realizing our ultimate ambition of bringing this breakthrough to market. Innovation takes time, and we will continue to collaborate with leading experts in order to overcome remaining technical challenges, just as we did with our plastic-reducing Snap Pack.”
These Green Fiber Bottle prototypes are part of Carlsberg’s quest for eco-friendly packaging and its sustainability program. Together Towards ZERO. In addition, the company aims to zero in on carbon emissions from its breweries and reduce its carbon footprint by 30% by 2030.
Carlsberg began developing Green Fiber Bottle packaging in 2015, together with packaging companies EcoXpac and BillerudKorsnäs, as well as researchers from the Danish University of Technology.
