Packaging and Materials

In Singapore, sustainable packaging considerations are shaped in part by the Beverage Container Return Scheme (BCRS), a legislated framework under the Singapore Green Plan 2030 aimed at strengthening circularity for packaging waste. The scheme applies to plastic and metal beverage containers and introduces a deposit-refund mechanism designed to increase collection and recycling rates at a national level. As a producer operating in the Singapore market, compliance with the scheme is mandatory once it comes into effect.

We also adhere to the Carlsberg Environmental Global Policy.

We applied defined recycled content specifications across our packaging portfolio, with bottles containing 60% recycled content and cans 50%. These specifications were used consistently across relevant product ranges and reflected packaging configurations in place during the reporting period.

We continued to use returnable glass bottles which are collected for inspection, washing and refill under our bottling line system. Royal Stout in Singapore was incorporated into the existing returnable bottle system alongside Carlsberg and 1664 bottles in Malaysia, following the same distributor-level return process applied to other returnable glass products. In 2025, our overall Carlsberg glass bottle collection and recycling reached 96% in Peninsular Malaysia. 

We undertook preparatory work to support the transition to the BCRS in Singapore. This included transitioning relevant stock-keeping units (SKUs) to compliant formats, updating packaging artwork and labelling and aligning internal systems to support deposit accounting and reporting requirements. Inventory and stock transition planning was carried out to manage the shift from non-compliant to compliant packaging formats while limiting material write-offs.

Value Improvement Process Excellence (VIPEX)

In 2025, we brought colleagues from across the business together to review our product and packaging portfolio to examine how individual design features contribute to consumer value, operational feasibility and material use.

This review was conducted under Value Improvement Process Excellence (VIPEX), a Carlsberg initiative that examines packaging and brand specifications to identify opportunities to improve cost efficiency and sustainability performance without affecting brand equity, functionality or quality. As part of this work, a Walk the Floor workshop was held to enable a detailed, hands-on examination of our packaging materials. 

During the workshop, participants from Supply Chain, Marketing, Commercial,
Sustainability and leadership teams, including regional colleagues, reviewed primary, secondary and tertiary packaging components alongside samples of other SKU information on product complexity. Teams rotated through the different review stations to discuss observations and challenge existing specifications from multiple operational and market perspectives. Ideas arising from these discussions were consolidated and assessed for implementation. One of the many ideas include the optimisation of selected bottle labels to reduce material usage without affecting product quality or consumer experience. 

Further material-use and packaging-efficiency ideas identified during these discussions are undergoing trials in 2026 to assess operational feasibility.

"We always bring out the best in ourselves by thinking creatively, stepping outside the box and taking risks. That is why we have every function represented here today: because together, we can create better, more innovative solutions than any one team alone. So, let us come together, push boundaries and make the most of this opportunity."

Stefano Clini, Managing Director