Heineken shows Shanks plenty of bottle

The international brewer has awarded a contract to glass reprocessor Van Tuijl, which is owned by Shanks, to recycle its entire inventory of brown bottles – some 15,000 tonnes.

Shanks acquired Van Tuijl in 2011 and has since invested in the business to double recycling capacity. A new furnace was commissioned this year that both expands the business and improves the quality of the glass recyclate produced.

Shanks’ managing director in Benelux Michael van Hulst said: “Heineken is a key customer for us and we are delighted to be helping them transition to green bottles as part of their stated ambition to be the greenest international brewer in the world.”

Heineken has traditionally bottled its beer into both brown and green coloured bottles, but the company recently announced that it will in future produce all of its beers in its famous green bottles.

Maxine Perella