Carlsberg announced a ground-breaking agreement to develop the world’s first fully biodegradable wood-fiber bottle for beverages

Carlsberg unveils latest Carlsberg Circular Community initiative at World Economic Forum in Davos. New Community partners also announced.

DAVOS, 22-1-2015 — /EuropaWire/ — In the context of its participation in a panel on Wasteless Supply at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Carlsberg today announced a ground-breaking agreement to develop the world’s first fully biodegradable wood-fiber bottle for beverages.

Carlsberg has initiated a three-year project with packaging company ecoXpac, with the collaboration of Innovation Fund Denmark and the Technical University of Denmark, to develop a biodegradable and biobased bottle made from sustainably sourced wood-fiber, to be known as the “Green Fiber Bottle”.

All materials used in the bottle, including the cap, will be developed using bio-based and biodegradable materials – primarily, sustainably sourced wood-fibers – allowing the bottle to be responsibly degraded.

Commenting on the announcement from Carlsberg HQ in Copenhagen, Andraea Dawson-Shepherd, Senior Vice President for Corporate Affairs, said: “At Carlsberg we are firm believers in the importance of a circular economy in ensuring sustainable future growth and development on our planet, and today’s announcement is excellent news. If the project comes to fruition, as we think it will, it will mark a sea-change in our options for packaging liquids, and will be another important step on our journey towards a circular, zero-waste economy.”

This latest initiative forms part of the Carlsberg Circular Community (CCC), a cooperation between Carlsberg and selected partners whose aim is to pursue a circular, zero-waste economy by using the Cradle to Cradle® (C2C®) framework when developing and marketing new products. The CCC currently comprises six founding partners, with two new partners, ecoXpac and 1HQ (a global branding agency), announced today. Its goal is to have 15 partners by 2016.

CCC achievements in 2014 included:

• C2C certification for Carlsberg and Somersby Cider Rexam cans in the UK
• Primary-stage C2C assessments of six different packaging products
• Launch of a two-year research programme on C2C and LCA (Life-Cycle Assessment) with the Technical University of Denmark

For interviews, quotes and questions please contact:

Jim Daniell – International media
+45 3327 2874
jim.daniell@carlsberg.com

Jens Bekke  – Danish media
+45 3327 1412
jens.bekke@carlsberg.com

About CSR in Carlsberg Group
A central element of the Carlsberg Group’s CSR strategy is the integration of corporate responsibility throughout the value chain. Embedding CSR in existing business processes, developing policies to ensure standards, driving collaboration through partnerships and setting global and local targets to improve CSR performance form the cornerstone of this strategic process. Read more about CSR in Carlsberg: www.carlsberggroup.com/csr

Read more about Cradle to Cradle & EPEA at: www.epea-hamburg.org/en

Cradle to Cradle® and C2C® are registered trademarks of McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry LLC.

About Carlsberg Group
The Carlsberg Group is one of the leading brewery groups in the world, with a large portfolio of beer and other beverage brands. Our flagship brand – Carlsberg – is one of the best-known beer brands in the world and the Baltika, Carlsberg and Tuborg brands are among the eight biggest brands in Europe. More than 45,000 people work for the Carlsberg Group, and our products are sold in more than 150 markets. In 2013, the Carlsberg Group sold 120 million hectolitres of beer, which is about 36 billion bottles of beer.

About ecoXpac
EcoXpac is an innovative company that has specialised in designing, developing and producing products made from recycled or natural moulded fiber. It is common to all the materials EcoXpac use that they are biodegradable and CO2-neutrally produced. EcoXpac utilizes a network of research organizations, such as the Technical University of Denmark, to ensure its innovation stems from a thoroughly analysed basis.  Learn more about ecoXpac: www.ecoxpac.dk 

About 1HQ
1HQ is one of the world’s leading independent Global Branding Agencies. Based in Windsor, UK, our work can be seen in over 35 countries, across many varied sectors. Using 20 years expertise in packaging design, 2D graphics & 3D structure, product innovation, digital and shopper marketing, we offer our clients a combination of strategic insight and persuasive creativity, supported by full implementation resources to put ideas into action. We believe that, at their most productive, brands are active agents of change – shaping and influencing our thoughts, feelings and behaviour. To learn more about 1HQ, please visit us at www.1hq.co.uk