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Amsterdam-based Avantium and global brewery group Carlsberg have agreed to take the next step in the commercialization of PEF (polyethylene furanoate). The Carlsburg Group has signed a conditional offtake agreement with Avantium to secure a fixed volume of the 100% plant-based, recyclable and high-performance polymer PEF from Avantium’s FDCA Flagship Plant in The Netherlands, which Avantium aims to start-up in 2024.

Carlsberg will use the PEF resin for various beer packaging applications, including its Fibre Bottle—the biobased and fully recyclable beer bottle. Carlsberg has also launched a trial of its latest Fibre Bottle, which contains an inner barrier layer of PEF produced in Avantium’s current pilot plant. Carlsberg will sample the Fibre Bottle to 8,000 consumers and other selected stakeholders in eight pilot markets in Western Europe.

The two companies have been partners since 2019 as the companies worked together with Paboco (Paper Bottle Company) and the Paper Bottle Community. Paboco, Avantium and Carlsberg developed the Fibre Bottle, a barrier solution, and a pioneering packaging solution for Carlsberg beer, respectively. Today, the results are consisting of a wood fiber outer shell and a plant-based and recyclable PEF polymer liner. Aside from its sustainable packaging benefits, Avantium’s PEF boasts superior barrier properties, protecting the taste and fizziness of the beer and leading to a longer shelf life. PEF is also said to have higher mechanical strength than conventional commodity plastics, enabling thinner packaging and thereby reducing the amount of material required.

In its largest trial of the Fibre Bottle to date, Carlsberg has revealed the latest generation design featuring the PEF lining and will sample 8,000 bottles across eight Western European markets throughout the summer. The bottles will be introduced to local consumers, customers and other stakeholders at selected festivals and flagship events, as well as targeted product sampling. Making the product accessible and gathering consumer feedback at this scale will be key to informing the next generation of design and accelerating Carlsberg’s ambition to make the Fibre Bottle a commercial reality.