Increasing awareness around sustainability

Carlsberg UK corporate affairs director Bruce Ray explains how, as part of its business plan for 2015, the brewer is focusing on increasing awareness around sustainability

Bruce Ray Carlesberg UK

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It's a popular myth, he says, that going green can be costly, but in truth eco-friendly initiatives can actually help reduce overall budgets.  Extending the product lifecycle of a can or a bottle for instance ensures carbon emissions are lowered and, therefore, helps to eradicate landfill waste.

"At Carlsberg UK, promoting awareness around green initiatives and the benefits of reducing packaging is something we take very seriously indeed. In 2015, we’re increasing efforts to educate consumers (festival goers in particular) on the responsibility of recycling."

Global packaging sales are expected to reach £623bn by 2018, but regardless of the business, no company wants to be thought of as irresponsible, or not doing enough to combat sustainability.

"We’re working in partnership with Rexam, the global beverage can company to develop innovative, high-quality packaging which contributes to the circular economy.

"Primary and secondary packaging account for approximately 45% of our total C02 emissions, which is a significant amount.  Earlier this year we joined forces with the ‘Every Can Counts’ campaign, which aims to make it easy to recycle drinks cans and make a difference, whether at work, college, a festival or while you're out and about. Our team of volunteers acted as recycling warriors and were on hand to spread the recycling message to festival goers and encourage them to recycle wherever possible. To date there are over 10,000 collection points across the UK, in workplaces, shopping centres, hospitals and in the last five years the campaign has helped a wide range of organisations, from large corporates to public sector organisations and SMEs to set up recycling facilities."

In 2015 and beyond the Northampton-based brewer, Part of the world's fourth largest brewer, is also stepping up efforts to extend the life of its packaging, by seeking a ‘cradle-to-cradle’ certification for its Carlsberg and Somersby cans in the UK, which means the recycled cans are back on the shelves in just six weeks.

"Meanwhile, Carlesberg's award-winning ‘Engaged With Society’ programme, which has brought us industry-wide recognition for our proactive approach, highlights our continued contributions to be more responsible and go the extra mile in order to do the right thing – that’s right for the environment, for our customers and consumers, for our own people, the communities they live in and the causes we all care about. We believe that in doing so, we’re improving our business and doing all we can to secure a better and more sustainable future for everyone."

15 December 2014