Carlsberg To Replace Glass Bottles With PET

10 August 2011

Carlsberg Export is to be sold in 500ml PET bottles exclusively through Sainsbury's Local stores

Replacing glass with PET will open up a wider market for Carlsberg as well as reducing carbon emissions

In a partnership Carlsberg and Schmalbach Lubeca developed a PET-bottle solution for Carlsberg Lager in PET superior to that on limited distribution at the time.

The bottle provides easy-open for the consumer and ultimately is able to meet the shelf life criteria, both microbiologically and organoleptically, needed to enter markets outside of limited events.

The 500-mL bottle weighs 29 g, and is a one-way plastic beer bottle, made by Schmalbach-Lubeca in its Manchester/UK plant.

The bottle will have a traditional metal crown cap rather than a plastic screw cap.

The new bottle, with the Carlsberg logo down its length, is not intended for retail distribution, unlike the monolayer PET beer bottle it replaces. It's for outdoor stadiums and similar venues where distribution can be more carefully controlled.

The new barrier bottle provides a six-month shelf life at ambient temperatures, while the monolayer PET-bottle's shelf life is little more than a month.

The new bottle design has a lower carbon footprint than glass.

The main benefit for Carlsberg, however, lies in convenience and portability, targeting outdoor summer occasions to drive impulse sales, while the contemporary design reinforces the premium positioning of the brand.

According to Carlsberg, there is huge, untapped potential in chilled beer. Consumer research showed that an in-store chiller is likely to attract four times the footfall of an ambient fixture in a convenience store or supermarket.

The move follows M&S' decision to convert its entire range of 25cl wine bottles to PET.

Darrel Moore