{"id":2241,"date":"2024-09-10T05:17:55","date_gmt":"2024-09-10T09:17:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.packagingindustrynews.com\/?p=2241"},"modified":"2024-09-10T05:17:55","modified_gmt":"2024-09-10T09:17:55","slug":"pulp-fiction-paper-packaging-raises-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.packagingindustrynews.com\/?p=2241","title":{"rendered":"Pulp fiction: paper packaging raises questions"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Carlsberg\u2019s \u201cbio-based\u201d Fibre bottle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

One in four wine and spirits bottles on supermarket shelves could be paper-based rather than glass within a decade, according to UK packaging company Frugalpac.<\/p>\n

Surges in glass prices and consolidation in the glass industry should help boost interest in alternative packaging, CEO Malcolm Waugh\u00a0told\u00a0Just-Drinks<\/em><\/a>\u00a0at the ProWein trade fair in Germany in March. \u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s a reason not to think you couldn\u2019t see 20-25% of the market in some form of paper alternative \u2013 ideally Frugal Bottle \u2013 in the next decade.\u201d Such a market share \u201ccould be more than possible\u201d, he added.<\/p>\n

Really? A quarter of wines and spirits in paper bottles, rather than glass, plastic or aluminium ones? It seems fanciful but some of the claims being made by the likes of Frugalpac have turned the heads of sustainability chiefs at major drinks brands. The glass they\u2019ve traditionally used is heavy and energy-intensive to both produce and recycle, which means a sizeable chunk of the carbon footprint for the average bottle of wine, beer or other types of alcohol is the packaging.<\/p>\n

At Carlsberg<\/a> Group, for instance, manufacturing and disposal of packaging accounts for 45% of total greenhouse gas emissions (or around 2.3MtCO2<\/sub>e of 5.2MtCO2<\/sub>e) but reductions are proving hard to deliver.<\/p>\n

In the brewer\u2019s latest ESG report, emissions from packaging were down just 3% between 2015 and 2022. \u201cWe must work with our suppliers to further reduce emissions from glass and aluminium,\u201d the report reads, and \u201clook for opportunities to harness consumer interest in shifting to less carbon-intensive packaging alternatives\u201d. Reuse is the most sustainable option in most cases but will take time; in terms of single-use it is paper that is attracting attention and investment.<\/p>\n

With targets to meet within net-zero plans, something has to give. And maybe it is glass. In an email to\u00a0Just-Drinks<\/em>\u00a0this week, Waugh highlighted the carbon credentials of his Frugal Bottle: the footprint is 91.9gCO2<\/sub>e, which is 84% lower than a 440g imported glass bottle (558.2g CO2<\/sub>e) and 34% lower than a bottle made from 100% recycled plastic (136.6g CO2<\/sub>e), he explains. It even beats the lightweight glass bottle made in the UK (382gCO2<\/sub>e) and has 77% less plastic than a plastic bottle.<\/p>\n

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