Spendrups invests in recycled plastic together with Trioworld

Spendrups, one of Sweden's leading breweries, has, in collaboration with Trioworld, switched to 30 percent consumer recycled plastic in all stretch and shrink film. This is used around pallets and drinking troughs to ensure load stability and transport safety.

The transition to Trioworld's Loop alternatives with 30% PCR (Post-Consumer Recycled) which is plastic that has been recycled after it has been used for the purpose for which it was manufactured, is made after extensive joint tests. This will provide an annual saving corresponding to approx. 150 tons of new plastic and 200 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (see below information for calculation information).

"Spendrups is a fourth-generation family business and sustainability issues have been on our agenda for a long time.” In recent years, we have taken several important steps to lower the climate footprint of our packaging portfolio and make it more circular," says Anna Lidström, Head of Sustainability at Spendrups Bryggeri.

"Now we have taken another step, and in Trioworld we have a partner who can help us improve our sustainability performance and at the same time maintain high quality and efficiency. The investment is in line with Spendrups sustainability strategy, where reduced climate impact and a more circular use of resources, such as packaging materials, are important building blocks," Anna Lidström continues.

When the collaboration between Trioworld and Spendrups began three years ago, a joint ambition was agreed to increase the proportion of recycled plastic in the plastic products that Spendrups buys in from external sources, particularly the materials used to create stretch film for load stability.

"We are very proud of our collaboration with Spendrups and the result we have now reached," says Gunter Cakar, Key Account Manager at Trioworld's Stretch Film Division. "Spendrups is the first of our customers to implement the use of consumer recycled plastic across all product lines and through working together, we have found a solution with high performance and a lower climate footprint," Gunter Cakar continues.

It is crucial that the plastic maintains the same high quality all the way through Spendrup's high-speed production and in transportation to retail and restaurant customers. This can be a challenge with recycled material, as the properties change and can have greater variations than plastics from virgin raw materials. But with Trioworld's ability to recycle used plastic into high-quality granules, the solution that has now been implemented secures the premium quality required. To ensure this, extensive tests have been carried out, both on a small and large scale.

"At Trioworld, we invest in recycling consumer-used plastic so that we can offer the high quality of consumer recycled stretch and shrink film that is required to maintain the same properties as a film made from new raw material. We increase recycling while driving circularity and contributing to reduced carbon dioxide emissions. A close collaboration with dedicated customers who are actively working on their conversion is very valuable for us as a supplier. This enables us to continue to lead and drive the development towards a circular, material and cost-effective economy for plastics." says Per Holtstrand, director of Trioworld's Stretch film division.

For Spendrups, the conversion is calculated as an annual saving equivalent to approx. 150 tonnes of new plastic, which means a reduction of 200 tonnes of CO2 equivalents (see below for explanation of calculation). The next step in the collaboration will be to further increase the percentage of recycled material, with the goal of reaching 70 percent within a few years.

Calculation details
Replacing 500 tonnes Trioworld virgin material products with an equal amount of Trioworld Loop30 solutions means that at least 30% of the tonnage is recycled plastic, this equals 150 tonnes less virgin material* and corresponds to 200 tonnes CO2 equivalents less in comparison **. This only applies to products provided by Trioworld.

* The total amount of virgin material being replaced when using Trioworld Loop alternatives has been calculated based on product compositions for production in 2022 respectively 2023.
** Based on cradle-to-gate calculations, packaging material for the plastic film not included, applicable for production conditions in 2022 respectively 2023.

About Spendrups

Spendrups, founded in 1897, is a Swedish family brewery run by the fourth generation of the Spendrup family. Spendrups has 1,100 employees and a turnover of approximately 4.6 MDSEK annually. The head office is in Stockholm, Sweden and production takes place in Grängesberg, Hällefors, Stockholm and Visby. The range includes brands such as Mariestads, Norrlands Guld, Melleruds, Loka, Trocadero, Briska and wine and spirit producers such as El Coto, Cantina Zaccagnini, Plantation and Tamnavulin. Spendrup's facilities are certified according to the international standards ISO 14001 (environmental) and FSSC 22000 (food safety). www.spendrups.se