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CMBC to invest £10m into Northampton brewery
Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company will invest £10 million into its Northampton brewery to improve sustainability.
The move will see it increase the capacity of its snap pack packaging as well as reducing water usage.
Carlsberg, through its Together Towards Zero initiative globally, has ambitious net zero plans. It aims across its entire value chain to be net zero by 2040, dropping 30% by 2030, as well as achieving net zero across its breweries by 2030.
The glue-dot snap pack was first launched in 2018 as a way of replacing plastic rings and paper rings as a method of holding cans together. It was developed by KHS GmbH with Carlsberg Group as a sustainable alternative, and has now been used across CMBC’s range of products.
The packaging method has now been used for 65% of four and six multipack cans at the Northampton brewery, with the new machine doubling production, resulting in full transition by the end of 2024. As a result of the move, the company believe it will reduce CMBC’s plastic usage by as much as 76%, compared to previous multi-packs.
Previously Carlsberg has also released a paper bottle prototype in 2019, which was made of green fibre. It was made from sustainably sourced wood fibres and had an “inner barrier” allowing the bottle to hold beer. Two versions were made, one using a thin recycled PET polymer film barrier, while the other has a bio-based PEF polymer film barrier.
Water technology is also due to be fitted at the Northampton brewery, which will allow usage to reduce by around 10% or 18 million litres each year.
Paul Davies, CEO, CMBC, said: “We take our responsibility as a brewer very seriously and ensuring we reduce our impact on the planet is a hugely important part of this. This major investment of more than £10m in Northampton demonstrates our clear commitments to eliminating packaging waste, reducing water waste, and improving efficiency at our breweries.”
CMBC’s flagship Carlsberg brand has worked with WWF since 2021, with Claudia Codsi, director of partnerships at the charity welcoming the latest efforts from the brewer to reduce the footprint of its products and packaging.