The country’s politicians emphasize that the circular economy is still being developed too slowly, and Lithuania ranks 37th in the report on the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, lagging behind other Baltic countries, as well as neighboring Poland.
It is true that some Lithuanian businesses have applied the principles of sustainability in their activities for a long time. For example, the representatives of Švyturys-Utenos alus, the largest beer production company in the Baltic States, emphasize that they set the highest standards not only for themselves, but also for their partners, and if the expectations they set are met, a long and beautiful cooperation is established, as with the company Kauno stiklas “.
Since 2017 “Švyturys-Utenos alus” together with “Carlsberg” group of companies started implementing the environmental sustainability program “Together Towards Zero”, which was supplemented last year and named “Together Towards Zero”.
This program is a response to the growing consumer demand for sustainable products in the face of global challenges such as climate change, water scarcity and public health issues.
According to Marius Šveistris, director of Carlsberg Group’s integrated supply chain in the Baltic countries, the beverage industry faces the same sustainability challenges as the rest of the industry: “We are actively addressing these challenges. Therefore, last year we updated the objectives of the sustainability program. We believe that this program is currently one of the most advanced in the world, so our participation in the implementation of its goals is a big breakthrough for the Lithuanian beverage industry.”
Sustainable and Lithuanian
One of the goals of Švyturios-Utena beer is to achieve leaving no additional carbon footprint throughout the entire cycle of raw materials, production, transportation and sales.
The “Together to Zero” program provides for until 2025 use only energy obtained from renewable sources and by 2030 to achieve zero carbon dioxide emissions into the environment, to halve the amount of water used.
The company also increased the recycling of the packaging released to the market, reduced the use of plastic through special projects, and was the first in Lithuania to implement 100% r The use of PET used plastic beer containers.
On the way to more sustainable packaging, the Lithuanian company “Kauno stiklas”, which has been a partner for more than two decades, came to the company’s aid.
Beer producers purchase reusable bottles from the Kaunas company, which are collected through taromats, washed and sent back to the market.
According to M. Šveistris, this long-term partnership continues to be successfully developed for several reasons – sustainability principles and Lithuanianness are important for both companies.
“It is important for us that we can work with a Lithuanian company, which is not so big compared to other European companies. We have a closer connection, a closer contact, we can develop new projects faster and abandon unnecessary bureaucracy. In addition, both we and they are guided by the same principles – circular economy and sustainability are important to us”, said the director of the integrated supply chain of the Carlsberg Group in the Baltic countries.
The bottle can be used for 10 years
At that time, the manager of “Kaunos sklato” Evaldas Sauliūnas emphasized that glass packaging is quite environmentally friendly.
“The glass bottle is the most environmentally friendly, least polluting compared to other packaging. Such packaging can be used many times. Glass is easily recycled.
Even after recycling it hundreds of times, the quality of the glass will not change.
Similar principles apply to reusable bottles, which can be used for a very long time. I have seen that the same bottle that I made 10 years ago is perfectly used and is now standing on the shelves”, emphasized E.Sauliūnas.
The head of the company reveals that the company constantly invests in innovations that allow us to work even more sustainably.
For example, recently for 8 million A new glass melting furnace was installed for EUR 100, which works faster, saves energy, and emits much less carbon dioxide into the environment.
According to E.Sauliūnas, one of the company’s goals always remains the saving of natural resources. “If we did not recycle the glass packaging that comes to us, we would have to dispose of it. However, we use everything down to the last gram in production.
Currently, in the bottles we produce, 75 percent of raw materials in each bottle consists of scraps and only 25 percent. fossil materials – quartz sand with additives”, said the head of the company. He noted that the production of glass packaging is waste-free – all glass waste generated during the glass production process is reused.
Apply high standards
“Such priorities and quality are also pleasing to the company’s partners. For the Carlsberg Group, quality and adherence to standards are the most important. Therefore, quality audits are carried out continuously and compliance with sustainability, circular economy and other standards is monitored.
“Kaunos stiklas” complies with all these requirements and prepares production in accordance with our expectations”, asserted M. Šveistrys, director of Carlsberg Group’s integrated supply chain in the Baltic countries.
Having the opportunity to work with the largest beer producers in the Baltic States, E.Sauliūnas calls it an invaluable experience and says that the partnership with Švyturius-Utenas alumi impresses other customers of the glass manufacturer.
“It is a great honor for me to be a supplier of this company. We can boast about this achievement in front of other customers. After all, this is a very serious company with great authority and a beautiful history.
In addition, Švyturys-Utenos alus belongs to the Carlsberg group of companies, which works with the highest sustainability standards. So by working with them, we also show others that we are a responsible business”, said E.Sauliūnas.
According to the head of the company, the company continues to think about innovations, because they are necessary in this business. In the near future, it is planned to improve the glass packaging waste sorting workshop, which will allow to implement the principles of the circular economy even more effectively.
