Heineken undertakes huge sustainable bottle trial

Heineken is taking part in research to produce glass bottles using up to 100 percent recycled glass and low carbon biofuel, replacing high carbon natural gas. The trial, which is in its early stages, will see 1.4 million bottles of Heineken produced, which the brewing giant hopes will eventually hit supermarket shelves.

Heineken is working in partnership with glass manufacturer and filler, Encirc (a Vidrala company), and not-for-profit industry research and development organisation, Glass Futures, to trial the bottles. The pilot scheme, funded by the UK Government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, will assess the relative resilience of the new bottles throughout the entire supply chain.

The low carbon bottle trial is part of a global partnership working on sustainable glass solutions to advance the reduction of carbon in the industry. With 1.4 million bottles entering the market, Heineken believes the findings will contribute to the continuing work to find a scalable sustainable solution for the long term, as the glass sector moves away from fossil fuels and towards low-carbon alternatives.  

“Most of us are passionate about the environmental impact food and drink packaging is having on our planet, and are making greener choices as a result. I congratulate Heineken, Encirc and Glass Futures on having the bottle to lead the way in decarbonising glass manufacturing in the food and drink sector,” said Energy Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan.

“With £7.1 million government funding, this project is a huge leap forward in creating greener packaging and helping the UK end its contribution to carbon emissions by 2050 – something which we can all raise a glass to.”   

“The trial is a huge step forward in finding a scalable solution to reducing carbon from glass manufacturing. This is a great example of working together with different suppliers to advance sustainable practices,” said Matt Callan, Brewing and Operations Director at Heineken UK.

“Testing 1.4 million bottles in the market will provide much needed insight into the practicalities of introducing an ultra-low carbon option with glass, and the results will inform further development with the eventual goal of introducing low carbon bottles at scale.

“As part of our Brewing a Better World sustainability strategy, we have a continued focus on reducing CO₂ from our entire supply chain.  Collaboration is key – innovation, testing and trial will be at the heart of our continuous efforts to ‘Drop the C’.

“We welcome this industry-wide initiative that connects drink producers, glass suppliers, policy makers and research institutes to advance the decarbonisation of their sectors. And with consumers recycling wherever possible, together we can reduce the impact on our planet.”