Brewery group Carlsberg and some of its global suppliers have teamed up to develop certified sustainable packaging materials that can be recycled or reused, minimizing packaging waste.
The founding companies working with Carlsberg on the “up-cycling” initiative are:
- Rexam: cans
- Arkema: glass bottle coatings
- O-I: glass packaging
- RKW: shrink wrap
- MWV (MeadWestvaco): paperboard multipacks
- Petainer: PET kegs for draught beer
The companies will be using the Cradle to Cradle Design Framework to develop a Cradle to Cradle roadmap and assessment of their products.
With this initiative, Carlsberg says it aims to have new products undergo an assessment for up-cycling potential using a Cradle to Cradle analysis, which will show if the products contain any chemicals or additives that would reduce the value and quality of the materials. The goals are to include 15 partners and to have a minimum of three products Cradle to Cradle certified by 2016.
The Cradle-to-Cradle program is a circular economy system in which manufacturers and designers create products with technical materials that can be used in continuous cycles or biological ones that can be disposed of in any natural environment and decompose into the soil.
Last week in Davos, the World Economic Forum and partners the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and McKinsey & Co. launched Project Mainstream. The initiative aims to help businesses to shift towards a circular economy and as a result save $500 million in materials and prevent 100 million metric tons of waste globally, according to the partners. Companies including Philips, Kingfisher, Veolia, DSM and Indorama have committed to be part of the effort.