by Kate Connolly
WHAT’S HAPPENING
- Keienburg GmbH, a German company, has announced a paperboard alternative to the conventional aluminum beverage can. The company’s creation combines a multilayer-board body with an aluminum top and end.
- According to the company, the package is compatible with a range of beverages, including beer, carbonated soft drinks and pasteurized products such as juices. In addition to single-serving cans, Keienburg has produced kegs made of the multilayer board.
- The company indicates that the package provides an environmental advantage (and a cost benefit for beverage companies) because fewer trucks are required to transport paperboard reels and can tops and ends to beverage plants than would be needed to ship aluminum cans (PackagingEurope.com, 25 November 2011).
WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS
- The package seems to hit some of the right green buttons, but questions remain. For example, how will consumers separate the can’s metal top and end prior to recycling? And is the multilayer-board material recyclable?
- It’s also unclear how the package stacks up vs. alternatives like aluminum, PET and glass, in terms of environmental footprint and beverage manufacturing costs. But eco stats and cost analysis aside, the package could appeal to consumers whose gut reaction is that paperboard packaging is “greener” than the aluminum option.
RESOURCES
