WestRock beer carton earns sustainability accreditation

Norcross, Georgia-based WestRock Co. and its customer Denmark-based brewery the Carlsberg Group have collaborated on a type of beverage packaging that has received Cradle to Cradle certification.

WestRock has announced it has received Cradle to Cradle Bronze certification for the Kronenbourg 1664 6-Pack Carton, made from WestRock’s Carrier Kote Coated Natural Kraft paperboard. The material is made from up to 15 percent recycled content, according to WestRock. It is designed to provide “excellent print quality with sharp, clear graphics capturing attention on the shelf and it gives optimal protection to the glass bottles, remaining strong even when wet,” the firm indicates.

The Cradle to Cradle Certified Product Standard has been created to assist designers and manufacturers through a continual improvement process that looks at a product through five quality categories: material health, material reutilization, renewable energy and carbon management, water stewardship and social fairness.

The new package “is the result of deep collaboration between WestRock and Carlsberg and a shared commitment to sustainability,” WestRock states in its news release. WestRock joined the Carlsberg Circular Community (CCC) in 2014 to collaborate to “rethink product packaging to ensure quality, optimize raw material inputs, eliminate waste and improve end-of-life environmental impact.”

“Sustainable development is only possible with strong partnerships and a true commitment to innovation,” says Michael Hinrichs, chief procurement officer of Carlsberg Group. “We are proud to partner with WestRock to continue to drive new ideas that increase our customers’ enjoyment of our products and protect the environment.”

Hinrichs adds, “We appreciate WestRock’s active contribution to the CCC and look forward to continued partnership in the coming years to achieve the ambitious targets in our new sustainability program, Together Towards ZERO.”

“Sustainability is a key part of our value proposition for customers,” says Nina Butler, chief sustainability officer of WestRock. “We value the trust that Carlsberg has put in us, and we look forward to continuing to deliver winning solutions that enhance sustainability.”