In the brewing industry, sustainability has evolved from being an optional ingredient to a vital part of the recipe. Brewers around the world have been fermenting significant changes towards environmental sustainability, and a key area where transformation is bubbling up is in the choice of packaging, explain the team at PakTech.
Environmentally conscious breweries have many goals when it comes to their packaging demands and our unique approach to secondary packaging aligns perfectly with those.
With 100% recycled and 100% recyclable handles, we present an opportunity for breweries to significantly reduce their environmental footprint while enhancing consumer experience with eye-catching designs.
At the heart of our sustainability ethos is the circular economy model. Every handle is manufactured from 100% recycled High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), sourced from everyday household items like milk jugs and juice containers. This significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions, drastically cuts down on energy use, and eliminates the need for virgin petroleum compared to conventional plastic production.
The handles, used by breweries just like yours, have given over one billion milk jugs a new lease of life. They’ve also saved more than 52 acres of land from turning into landfill waste and kept over 135 million pounds of plastic out of our landfills and oceans.
What’s more, the handles themselves are designed to be repurposed and recycled. In 2020, we introduced Pak to Pak handles that are made from recycled our handles, making them third-life products that embody the closed loop cycle. This ensures our handles live on, long after your last sip of beer.
Enhancing Energy Efficiency
Our commitment to sustainability doesn’t stop at recycling. Our operations are designed to be as energy-efficient as possible.
A whopping 80% of the energy used at our production facility in Eugene, Oregon, comes from hydroelectric energy, a renewable form of energy that harnesses the power of moving water to generate electricity. And the lightweight and compact design of our handles makes them easier to transport, reducing carbon emissions as they make their way to you.
For breweries keen to enhance their sustainability efforts, teaming up with PakTech can be the secret ingredient. By choosing our recycled and recyclable handles, you’re not just reducing packaging waste, you’re making a bold statement about your commitment to sustainability.
But this commitment to sustainability goes beyond our handles. In 2023, we partnered with BrauKon to bring our smart and sustainable solutions to the European market.
Together with the renowned German supplier and manufacturer of brewery systems, we launched our first automated applicator in Europe.
The innovative handle applicator, known as the CCA 120/180, is tailored to meet the unique needs of European breweries. This high-performance machine seamlessly applies our eco-friendly handles to cans, significantly increasing packaging efficiency. The handle applicator is set to revolutionise packaging processes, saving both time and resources while maintaining our commitment to sustainability.
In North America, we run a recycling program that works with over 800 businesses to ensure that as many of our handles as possible are recycled.
We are also a founding member of the US Plastics Pact, pushing for industry-wide collaboration to tackle plastic use.
And to help make your decision even easier, we’ve developed the Pak-Check – a checklist to help you choose the right sustainable packaging for your organisation. This comprehensive checklist guides breweries in making informed decisions about your packaging choices.
By adhering to this, you can make sure you select packaging that minimises greenhouse gas emissions, promotes recycling and reusability, and optimises resource use.
With our commitment to 100% recycled materials, recyclability, and energy-efficient operations, our handles meet all these criteria, offering breweries a best-in-class solution for sustainable secondary packaging.
As brewers, you strive to brew better beers. Let’s also pour our effort into brewing a sustainable future too. By choosing eco-friendly packaging like our handles, breweries can play a crucial role in driving the shift toward a more sustainable and energy-efficient future. It’s not just about making great beer; it’s about doing so in a way that respects our planet.
With PakTech, breweries have a partner that can help you achieve your sustainability goals while continuing to deliver exceptional experiences for your customers. Let’s cheers to that!
