German Packaging Award for the world’s first CO₂ PET bottles

The Mibelle Group has manufactured the world’s first PET bottle from CO₂, which would otherwise form greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The company has won the German Packaging Award 2021 in the Sustainability category for this innovation. The CO₂ recycling process is highly complex scientifically, yet really very simple.

Packaging for glass cleaners, and soon mouth washes and liquid soaps too, now contains up to 30% PET obtained from CO₂ (with mass balance), thus replacing new PET normally obtained from crude oil. New PET from CO₂ is therefore an ecologically sensible complement to recycled PET. This means the Mibelle Group can process recycled CO₂ to make new packaging.

Conversion to a rational raw material

As early as 2020, the Mibelle Group started using ethanol produced using CO₂ recycling technology in detergents (more information here). Similarly to beer brewing, during a fermentation process bacteria convert the captured CO₂ into ethanol. The Mibelle Group is now taking the process to the next level.

Ethanol is used as the basis for manufacturing sustainable plastic, which is perfect for use in packaging. The recycled CO₂ packaging reduces crude oil consumption, binds the greenhouse gas and can be disposed of as usual in existing recycling. CO₂ PET therefore has a much smaller environmental footprint than conventional PET, yet is the same quality.

The Mibelle Group has teamed up with start-up company LanzaTech for the CO₂ recycling, to create a sustainable alternative plastic for packaging.

German Packaging Award 2021

The CO₂ PET bottles described have received the German Packaging Award 2021 in the Sustainability category. The 24 members of the jury from industry, research and academia evaluated 52 packaging-related innovations in ten categories. The number of submissions has increased by 25% on the previous year. The jury summed up the CO₂ PET bottles as follows: “Recycled CO₂ packaging could represent a major milestone en route to a sustainable recycling economy.” Bernd Söllner, Head of Research & Development at the Mibelle Group, is delighted by the award: “The German Packaging Award underlines Migros’ DNA as the most sustainable retailer and our pioneering spirit when endeavouring to find forward-looking solutions.”