COPENHAGEN, Denmark, December 30, 2015 (press release) – The winning ideas were announced tonight at the Sustainia Award Ceremony in Paris. In all, 162 ideas were received from 33 different countries.

The winners of the two different awards were chosen from six finalists selected from 162 ideas through a rigorous process in which a Carlsberg jury representing research & development, marketing, sustainability, innovation and supply chain discussed and evaluated the ideas extensively.


The Cheers to Green Ideas Award:

For entrepreneurs with a business concept or technological sustainability idea. The winner receives USD 20,000 and a workshop with Carlsberg experts to further explore their idea.

• Winners: Guillermo Luque Consuegra and Michael Malott, using microalgae to produce biomass. Read more.

The jury described the winning idea as surprising and truly inspirational, expanding the limits for what is possible within the brewing world.

The J.C. Jacobsen Special Award:

For consumers with fun, engaging ideas that can inspire us and other consumers to make our beer more sustainable. The winner gets USD 10,000 as well as the chance to refine their idea in collaboration with Carlsberg experts.

• Winner: Søren Højland Boesen with his three green packaging ideas consisting of lightweight crates inspired by nature, magnetic and biodegradable bottle caps. Read more.

The jury described the winner as an individual with exceptional passion and drive, exemplified by the fact that he submitted no less than five ideas to the competition.

“The winning ideas are very different and show that beer sustainability can be improved in very different ways," says Charlotta Lyon, Vice President for Sustainability at the Carlsberg Group, who announced the winners at the Sustainia ceremony. "Interestingly, both winning ideas were inspired by nature through bone-inspired design and algae-based wastewater treatment. I look forward to exploring the winning ideas with our Carlsberg experts and the winners. We might, for example, be able to produce biofuel for our trucks from algae. It’s definitely an idea that warrants further investigation.”

About the Cheers to Green Ideas competition

During the three-week submission period for the Cheers to Green Ideas competition, 28 September to 16 October 2015, organisations, companies and members of the public in 33 different countries submitted a total of 162 ideas for how to make Carlsberg beer more sustainable. The competition is a partnership between Copenhagen-based think tank Sustainia and the Carlsberg Group. All the finalists and winners can be found at www.Carlsberggroup.com/CSR/GreenIdeas

About sustainability at the Carlsberg Group

A key element of the Carlsberg Group's sustainability strategy is the integration of sustainability throughout the value chain. Embedding sustainability in existing business processes, developing policies to ensure standards, driving collaboration through partnerships, and setting global and local targets to improve sustainability performance form the cornerstones of this strategic process. Read more about sustainability at Carlsberg: www.Carlsberggroup.com/CSR

About Sustainia

Sustainia is an international think tank and consultancy headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. Sustainia identifies readily available sustainability solutions across the world and communicates about their potential impacts and benefits for our cities, companies and communities. Sustainia creates a realistic vision of what a sustainable future could look like – not a utopia or a distant dream. With help from a growing online community and a database of more than 3,200 sustainable solutions, Sustainia shows the exciting sustainable societies we could live in. Welcome to Sustainia. www.Sustainia.me

About the Carlsberg Circular Community

The Carlsberg Circular Community (CCC), launched in 2014, is a cooperation between the Carlsberg Group and selected partners whose aim is to pursue a circular, zero-waste economy by using the Cradle-to-Cradle® (C2C®) framework when developing and marketing new products. The CCC currently comprises seven partners and aims to engage 17 partners by 2017. More on the Carlsberg Circular Community.