World's first paper beer bottle

Danish brewer Carlsberg Group has today unveiled two research prototypes of its Green Fibre Bottle – the world’s first ‘paper’ beer bottle.

Announced at the C40 World Mayors Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, the two prototypes are made from sustainably-sourced wood fibre, are fully recyclable and contain an inner barrier that allows the bottles to hold beer. One prototype has a 100% bio-based PEF polymer film barrier, while the other has a thin recycled PET polymer film barrier.

Carlsberg said that the prototypes will be used to test the barrier technology, but it aims to find a solution to achieve its ultimate goal of a 100% bio-based bottle without polymers.

Carlsberg Group vice president group development Myriam Shingleton said: “We continue to innovate across all our packaging formats and we are pleased with the progress we’ve made on the Green Fibre Bottle so far. While we are not completely there yet, the two prototypes are an important step towards realising 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.”

Carlsberg announces sustainable paper bottle innovation partnerships

Carlsberg’s update also included the announcement the forming of a paper bottle community with leading global companies that also aim to advance sustainable packaging through paper bottle technology innovations.

The companies in the community include L’Oréal, The Coca-Cola Company and The Absolut Company.

The Green Fibre Bottle project was started in 2015 by packaging company BillerudKorsnäs, innovation expert ecoXpac and Danish Technical University post-doctoral researchers, supported by Innovation Fund Denmark. The collaboration produced the Paper Bottle Company, Paboco – a joint venture between BillerudKorsnäs and bottle manufacturing specialist Alpla, forming the paper bottle community.

Shingleton added: “The work with our partners since 2015 on the Green Fibre Bottle illustrates that this kind of innovation can happen when we work together. We’re delighted that other like-minded companies have now joined us as part of Paboco’s paper bottle community. Partnerships such as these ones that are united by a desire to create sustainable innovations are the best way to bring about real change.

“We’re driven by our constant pursuit of better, to create more sustainable packaging solutions that help people to live more sustainable lives. Sometimes that means completely rethinking how things are done – pushing the boundaries of existing technologies and overcoming technical challenges as they present themselves.”

Paboco interim CEO Gittan Schiöld said: “It is all about the team. We are collaborating across the value chain, sharing the risks and are united in our vision that the paper bottle will become a reality and fundamentally change this industry for good.”

Carlsberg’s sustainable efforts within the drinks sector

Carlsberg has continued to search for new ways to improve its sustainability efforts.

The company said that the recent developments are a continuation of its sustainable packaging innovation aims and a key part of its sustainability programme, Together Towards ZERO, which includes zero carbon emissions at its breweries and a 30% reduction in its full value chain carbon footprint by 2030.

Last year, Carlsberg also launched its Snap Pack for canned drinks, recycled shrink film and greener label ink.