Carlsberg seals deal for consumer test of PEF bottles
28 Jun 2022
Brewing giant Carlsberg has signed a deal with a renewable chemistry company to trial the use of PEF within its newest fibre bottles.
Carlsberg has contracted with Avantium for a fixed volume of PEF resin, including for its new bottle which features a recyclable PEF polymer liner to offer a more sustainable product and better barrier in order to preserve taste and maintain shelf life.
Interest in the scalable use of PEF – (polyethylene furanote) has grown as it is seen to have potential for helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy use. It also presents a more effective gas barrier than the more commonly used PET (polyethylene terephthalate).
A total of 8,000 bottles will be piloted in eight West European countries as a prelude to a planned scaling-up of production to fully commercial levels.
Carlsberg VP group development Stephane Munch commented: “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.
Avantium CEO Tom van Aken described how the agreement marked a breakthrough in terms of the introduction of PEF and the development of sustainable manufacturing.
“It is a truly exciting milestone that – for the very first time - consumers can now experience a PEF-lined beer bottle. With business partners such as Carlsberg Group, Avantium can further scale and build the PEF value chain, meeting the growing global demand for circular and renewable material solutions.
“This is what the material transition is about: ensuring that consumers can get access to novel and sustainable products at scale.”
