In another move to widen the use of the polymer PEF (polyethylenefuranoate), seen as a replacement product for petroleum-based polyethylene, Dutch resin maker Avantium (Amsterdam; www.avantium.com) has signed a conditional offtake agreement with Danish brewer Carlsberg (Copenhagen; www.carlsberggroup.com).

Avantium said the deal represents an additional step toward securing a fixed volume of the 100% plant-based, recyclable and high-performance polymer that will be produced at the Dutch company’s domestic flagship plant for FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid) in Delfzijl; which is due to start up in 2024 (see Plasteurope.com of 14.04.2022).

Carlsberg plans to use the PEF resin for various packaging applications, including its branded Fibre Bottle, which contains an inner layer of PEF from Avantium’s pilot plant. In 2021, the two companies signed a joint development agreement for several PEF applications, including the bottle (see Plasteurope.com of 31.03.2021).

Beyond the sustainability aspect, Avantium claims that its PEF also has superior barrier and higher mechanical strength compared to conventional plastics, which enables thinner packaging.

What is being promoted as the first bio-based and fully recyclable beer bottle is to be trialled this summer in eight West European markets and introduced to 8,000 consumers and “selected stakeholders” at festivals and other events.

Avantium CEO Tom van Aken said the trial is designed to test the production, performance, and recycling of the polymer at scale. Identifying and producing PEF as a competent functional barrier for beer has been one of the company’s greatest challenges, he noted.

In 2021, Avantium signed offtake agreements with five partners, including Refresco, Resilux, Terphane, and Toyobo, covering more than 50% of the flagship plant’s capacity of around 2,500 t/y. The agreement with Carlsberg is the second this year following a deal with Sukano.