Beer brand launches plastic-free six pack rings

CORONA announced that it will pilot plastic-free six pack rings in select markets as part of the brand’s commitment with Parley for the Oceans to lead the industry with eco-friendly packaging.

Both Corona and Parley have a shared mission to help protect the world’s oceans and beaches from marine plastic pollution. The partnership began with a commitment to protect 100 islands by 2020 and expands to include the pursuit of scalable innovation that can change the status quo.

With roughly eight million metric tons of plastic entering the ocean each year, there is a need to confront the issue on multiple fronts.

“Our oceans are under attack. We are taking their life in rapid speed, destroying the chemistry that allows us to be here. Therefore we are bidding on the few who take the lead in true change. The ones who are shaping the future with us,” said Cyrill Gutsch, founder and CEO of Parley for the Oceans. “Corona is such an Ocean Champion, a powerful ally in our war against marine plastic pollution — and in building the material revolution that will lead us beyond it. We share the goal of phasing plastic out for good, because we simply can’t afford its toxic impact anymore.”

Although Corona is primarily packaged in glass and fiberboard, the brand sees an opportunity to help redesign a common source of plastic in the category: six pack rings. The plastic-free rings being tested are made from plant-based biodegradable fibers, with a mix of by-product waste and compostable materials. If left in the environment, they break down into organic material that is not harmful to wildlife, whereas the industry standard plastic six pack rings are made from a photodegradable form of polyethylene that results in increasingly smaller pieces of plastic if not recycled.

Although most plastic rings are recyclable, the reality is that the majority of all plastic ever created hasn’t been recycled, which is the motivation for brands like Corona to pursue solutions that avoid the material entirely. That journey starts in the brand’s homeland of Mexico, where the plastic-free rings will be piloted in Tulum at the beginning of the year.

“The beach is an important part of Corona’s DNA and we have been working with Parley to address the issue on the frontlines where plastic is physically accumulating,” said Evan Ellman, Corona Better World Director. (AP)