Carlsberg Britvic's New Sustainable Packaging Innovation
DS Smith is partnering with Carlsberg Britvic to upgrade the beverage powerhouse's packaging.
This deal will enhance operational efficiency and sustainability across the company's supply chain.
It is reshaping operations in its bid to circularity and carbon reduction.
A new partnership
Carlsberg Britvic is home to some of the UK's most popular soft drinks and beers, as well as being the largest multi-beverage supplier in the UK.
When Carlsberg, the Danish multinational brewer, acquired Britvic, a British soft drinks producer, in January, it transformed its portfolio and welcomed more than 4,000 new employees to the Carlsberg Group.
Its portfolio includes Carlsberg Danish Pilsner, Hobgoblin, J2O, Robinsons and Tango.
Now, Carlsberg Britvic is updating its supply chain once again by partnering with DS Smith.
DS Smith is a leading global provider of sustainable fibre-based packaging. It is a vital contributor to the value chains within e-commerce, food and beverage and fast moving consumer goods.
It is dedicated to helping the industries transition to a circular economy, providing sustainable circular solutions for customers.
It was acquired by International Paper in 2025 - a sustainable packaging solutions company dedicated to making the world safer and more productive with its solutions.
The new partnership between Carlsberg Britvic and DS Smith is set to increase sustainability and boost supply chain efficiency.
Supply chain efficiency
The packaging for Carlsberg Britvic products has been upgrades from the OTOR4 packaging, to the new OTOR8 'Bag-in-Box' design.
The new design features an 8-sided shape which makes the packaging stronger, is also aided by higher strength materials.
Packaging weight is significantly reduced through this new design - calculated based on the weight of the OTOR 7 litre packing and the OTOR8 12 litre packaging. There was an 18.7% reduction in the original OTOR4 and a 10.5% reduction in the 12 litre.
The weight decrease makes it easier and safer for the products to be lifted and transported by workers.
Through the redesigned shape, an average of 25% more boxes can be loaded per pallet. This reduces the number of pallets and lorries needed, as well as less time for employees loading and securing pallets onto the lorries.
As a result, this greatly improves the efficiency of both workers and transportation.
Tom Fiennes, Sustainability Director at Carlsberg Britvic, says: “Every year Carlsberg Britvic produces more than 25 million litres of soft drinks to be served on dispense in pubs, clubs, bars and restaurants – and we couldn’t do this without high-quality, innovative packaging.
"The new OTOR8 bag in box from DS Smith means sturdier packaging for our customers, reduced storage space for everyone and, from Pepsi MAX™ and 7UP to Tango and R. White’s lemonade, reduced carbon emissions– another milestone in Carlsberg Britvic’s journey to net zero carbon emissions.”
Employees in the warehouses are also seeing the benefits of this new packaging partnership, providing greater efficiency across the entire supply chain.
Warehouse storage space is used better, as the packaging fits together better and is more stable due to its vertical design.
Through this, there is also a significantly less risk of leakage as the boxes are less likely to undergo damage, as well as keeping any leaking products inside.
Embedding sustainability
As well as improving operational efficiency, the new packaging is the first step to improving sustainability within Carlsberg Britvic's supply chain.
Due to the reduced number of pallets and lorries needed to transport products, the environmental impact of the journey is significantly decreased.
There is a 115-mile journey between the Calsberg Britvic manufacturing site in Leeds and the national distribution centre in Lutterworth. Based on average mileage and full pallet loads, the reduction in pallets and packaging weight will save more than 50 tonnes of CO₂ transport emissions every year.
The DS Smith packaging considers circularity within its design strategy, thinking about:
- Design for reuse
- Supply chain optimisation
- Recyclability
- Planet safeness
- Material utilisation
- Renewable source
- Recycled content
- Carbon footprint
Liz Manuvelpillai, Sales, Marketing, and Innovation Director at DS Smith, adds: “At a time when efficiency and sustainability remain front of mind for our customers, we’re thrilled to have delivered an effective packaging solution in collaboration with Carlsberg Britvic.
"Our innovation will see fewer consignment vehicles on the road, lower transport emissions and contribute to supply chain efficiency. Innovation, and sustainability are at the heart of what we do as a company and this is the first stage of the innovative ‘Bag in Box’ project as we support Carlsberg Britvic on their sustainability journey.”
Carslberg Britvic has had sustainability embedded into its work for a while with a commitment towards carbon reduction. 75% of the grid electricity used to make its soft drinks in the UK comes from solar panels.
It has invested more than £9m (US$12.1m) in its carbon cutting technology over the past three years.
This partnership is one step closer towards embedding efficient and sustainable practices throughout Carslberg Britvic's supply chains.
