Success Story Mohrenbrauerei

By introducing Vetropack's lightweight bottles
for another beer in its range, Austria’s Mohrenbrauerei brewery is cutting its CO2 emissions.

The greener way to enjoy beer
Our robust, lightweight returnable bottle is creating a sensation in this corner of Austria: following
Mohrenbräu Pfiff, Mohrenbräu Spezial is now the second beer available from this brewery
in the practical and exceptionally sustainable 0.33-litre lightweight glass bottle from Vetropack.
It reduces the carbon footprint by as much as 25 percent.

Enjoying a wide variety of innovative beers is very much part oflife in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg. The beers here are somewhat stronger than in the nearby Allgäu region, for example,
and there is a wide range of seasonal and creative beers thatoffer special taste experiences. The Mohrenbrauerei – a brewery
founded by Johann Mohr at Dornbirn back in 1763 – is to thankfor this. The brewery passed into the ownership of the Huber
family in the 19th century, and it still maintains close ties with thelocal people and the region. A market share of 53 percent sendsout a clear message, and many exiles from Vorarlberg remain
loyal to their favourite beer long after they have left the region.
Awareness of tradition combined with innovation
Andreas Linder, Mohrenbrauerei's Head of Marketing, reports:

2

SUCCESS STORY MOHRENBR AUEREI"We view ourselves as a brewery that is innovative and sustainable. Of course, we also do our job with professionalism
and passion, and we take a holistic approach to the subject ofbeer. That includes the dialogue we maintain with customers

Andreas Linder
Head of Marketing
Mohrenbrauereiand the catering trade, our diverse range of products, andalso aspects such as service and product expertise, regular
maintenance and modernisation of the production plantand dispensing equipment – the list could go on." Visitors toMohrenbrauerei can discover a world packed with experiences,"Back then, Mohrenbrauerei was the
only brewery in Austria that waswilling to commit to the lightweightglass experiment. Thatreally put us ahead of our time."
Andreas Linder

attend a seminar on brewing or train as a beer sommelier, andsample international beers of all styles that are almost impossible
to find elsewhere.
The last two years have seen the addition of a lager and awheat beer to the brewery's range, which also includes trending varieties such as Pale Ale and Radler Grapefruit as well asa series of local specialities. Alongside these types, Mohrenbrauerei offers about six creative beers each season: these arebrewed on a small scale (around 200 to 600 bottles), so they
are highly sought-after collectors' items. To mention just one
example: for the 2022 summer season, a new Mojito beer was
created that opens up previously unknown worlds of taste.
Best-seller now available in returnable lightweight bottleWith a market share of over 30 percent, however, the brewery's distinctive high-strength Mohrenbräu Spezial is the front
runner in the range. Since 2022, this beer has also been available in the 0.33-litre lightweight glass bottle by Vetropack.

A special process is used to manufacture this returnable bottle,
which weighs a mere 210 grams (instead of 300 grams). Thermallytempered glass reduces wear on the contact surfaces (scuffing).
It is already over three years since Mohrenbrauerei began using
Vetropack's lightweight glass bottles for its Pfiff "March Beer"
and Radler varieties: this cuts logistics costs because the volume
that needs to be moved from A to B is reduced by 1,000 tonnes
per year. "And for Mohrenbräu Spezial, the savings will turn out
to be many times greater," Linder is delighted to point out. "Thisfits excellently with our image as an innovative and sustainable
brewery that values and promotes social solidarity – to takeanother example, we also meet our entire energy requirementwith green power." Overall CO2 emissions per bottle are slashedby no less than one quarter as compared to a normal 0.33-litre
returnable bottle.
A sustainability trailblazer
Another reason for this is that the height of the crates containing
the lightweight glass bottles is lower, so they can be stacked
six-high on a pallet instead of five-high as before. All in all, thisis a major step on the path towards more sustainability – andSUCCESSS STORY MOHRENBR AUEREI

3the history of this journey goes back a long way: the firstdiscussions between Vetropack and Mohrenbrauerei took
place as long ago as 1998. "Back then, Mohrenbrauerei was
the only brewery in Austria that was willing to commit to thelightweight glass experiment. That really put us ahead of ourtime, because a packaging change of this sort shouldn't be
underestimated. It includes detailed product tests – how does
the bottle feel, how does the beer behave in it, what does thelabel look like, and so on. Then the process has to be coordinated with everyone involved and, finally, there is the technicalconversion of the bottling plants. But at the end of the day, it's

the market or the end customers who decide whether the productwill be a success. In that regard, it's no exaggeration to say that
we encountered some scepticism at the start. And for a long time,
the sustainability issue didn't have the priority that it enjoys today.
Fortunately, things have changed: nowadays, it's important for
many customers – and some of them are even specifically looking
for sustainability." So Vetropack's 0.33-litre returnable bottle for
Mohrenbräu Spezial comes at exactly the right time. It offers anappropriate way of improving the climate footprint and making
beer more sustainable. But that's not all: at a time when overallbeer consumption is declining throughout the world, it also gives
Mohrenbrauerei access to new target groups – for example, people who pay particular attention to the environment and those whohave little carrying capacity or prefer smaller quantities.
Soon for 0.5-litre bottles as well?
Andreas Linder sums up: "Of course, we pioneered the lightweight glass bottle from Vetropack, and we shall miss thatunique status as the new packaging becomes more widespread in the market. But its advantages are clear to see, andthe potential is simply gigantic. So we're proud that we played
our part in this – and, who knows? It might soon be time toextend this approach to include the 0.5-litre bottles. Althoughnothing specific is planned as yet, in principle I see no reason
why the success story shouldn't continue in this direction."

www.vetropack.com