Scottish project transforms whisky waste into compostable packaging
A new collaboration between Arbikie Distillery, Edinburgh Napier University and the University of Dundee will use whisky production by-products to create sustainable packaging as part of a £300k net zero research programme.
Mycelium meets malt
Whisky industry waste will be turned into compostable packaging in a project bringing together Arbikie Distillery, Edinburgh Napier University and the University of Dundee.
The initiative, called MycoPack, will use mycelium – the root structure of fungi – and distillery by-products such as spent grain to create durable, lightweight packaging that is impact-resistant, fire-retardant and fully compostable.
Over the next 10 months, the team will develop proof of concept, testing the material and its design for bottle protection.
Kirsty Black, distillery manager at Arbikie, said: “At Arbikie, sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. Our collaboration with Edinburgh Napier and Dundee Universities on MycoPack represents an exciting step forward – combining innovation and purpose to create packaging made from mycelium that’s not only environmentally responsible but deeply aligned with our values. Together, we hope to pioneer solutions that respect the planet and inspire change across the industry.”
Part of wider net zero push
MycoPack is one of 11 projects awarded funding by Scotland Beyond Net Zero, a coalition of Scottish universities working with industry and community partners to address sustainability challenges.
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The programme has now supported 19 collaborative projects with around £300,000 of seed funding. Each involves at least two universities and one external partner.
Professor Nick Forsyth, vice-principal (research) at the University of Aberdeen and chair of the seed fund panel, said: “This is the second round of our seed fund… This collaborative and integrated approach is crucial to us meeting Scotland’s ambitious net zero targets. We cannot achieve these targets in isolation, we must work together to innovate, inform and adapt.”
Design and manufacturing focus
Dr Wenbin Zhou, lecturer in mechanical and industrial engineering at the University of Dundee, said the project would explore how advanced manufacturing can shape whisky by-products into compostable, locally sourced packaging.
Dr Dongyang Sun, lecturer in engineering at Edinburgh Napier University, added that the work would showcase “how fungal composites and circular design can transform whisky by-products into protective packaging that’s beautiful, compostable, and low-carbon”.
Arbikie Distillery, based on the Stirling family’s 2,000-acre estate in Angus, is known for its farm-to-bottle approach and sustainability initiatives, including the world’s first climate-positive gin and vodka, and investment in hydrogen power.
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