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Last week, beer-giant, Carlsberg, announced that it is taking a bold step against the amount of plastic waste it generates by changing a 50-year-old element of its packaging.

As part of its ongoing sustainability pledge, Together Towards Zero, Carlsberg’s ‘world first for the beer industry’ is an eco-friendly six-pack redesign called the ‘Snap Pack’. Instead of the traditional plastic rings, Carlsberg’s multipacks will feature a recyclable glue created with ‘pioneering technology’ that firmly binds the cans together. It will reduce the amount of multipack plastic waste by up to 76%!

Tell me more about the glue! (never before said with candour)
Packs of four to eight cans can be held together with a small amount of the glue which has been tested to endure a range of temperatures. Satisfyingly, the cans snap audibly when pulled apart. And even more satisfyingly, the glue, as well as the aluminium can, is recyclable. Carlsberg’s development team tested nearly 4,000 versions of the glue before arriving at the final product, which has taken 3 years to perfect.

CEO of the Carlsberg Group,Cees’t Hart, said
“It’s an important day for Carlsberg. We are working hard to deliver on our ambitious sustainability agenda and to help tackle climate change. We always strive to improve and today’s launch clearly shows our ambition to follow in our founder’s footsteps towards a better tomorrow. Carlsberg’s Snap Pack will significantly reduce the amount of plastic waste, and we look forward to giving our consumers better beer experiences with less environmental impact.” 

The company says the changes will reduce plastic waste worldwide by in excess of 1,200 tonnes annually (the equivalent of 60m plastic bags!)

The Carlsberg ‘Snap Pack’ debuted in the UK last weekend and will be available in Ireland in the coming months.

Lorna Mc Weeney | Packaging Designer
Lorna is a Packaging Designer with Neworld, a brand agency with over 30 years experience. We immerse ourselves in your industry, your customers, your competitors and your business goals to create design solutions that will guarantee to boost your bottom line.