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Plastic six-pack rings are a nightmare. They trash oceans, corrupt landfill sites and will outlast all of us…And because they’re so problematic, breweries everywhere looking to develop new types of beer holders that make more sense than the no-longer-loved plastic beer rings.
In 2018 Corona partnered with Parley for the Oceans and tried replacing the plastic in the six-pack rings with a biodegradable product. But the pilot program, which took place in Tulum Mexico, found that using the experimental plastic-free rings made from plant-based biodegradable fibers still generated more waste than expected.
But now its South American division is exploring another possible alternative using a byproduct of one of beer’s most essential ingredients…barley.
And as it turns out you can’t make beer with barley leftovers, but you can make cardboard.
Food & Wine, who broke this development, reports that these “experimental six-pack holders are made with a mix of recycled wood fibers and leftover barley straw, which unlike the grain, isn’t used for beer. Corona explains that working with barley straw requires a unique pulping process built to handle its relative fragility, but once combined with more traditional wood fibers, the results are as strong and durable as a regular six-pack, but better for the planet.”
According to Corona, which is owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev in much of the world, the process uses 90 percent less water than the traditional virgin wood process… “Using leftover barley straw is also far more productive and Corona sees this as one path forward to eliminate the need for virgin trees and raw material from their supply chain in the future.”
In addition to using less water this new 6-pack ring alternative, which is getting a 10,000 six-pack trial launch in Colombia this month, uses less energy and fewer harsh chemicals as well.
We’re excited to finally launch this new packaging innovation we’ve been developing over the past three years,” Keenan Thompson, director of packaging innovation at AB InBev explained…
“At AB InBev we are continually pushing boundaries by developing scalable solutions. Today is a proud moment for us; not only are we providing an opportunity for farmers but we’re also delivering a more mindful solution to the consume”
Want more on earth-friendly packaging alternatives?
CARLSBERG REPLACES PLASTIC 6-PACK RINGS WITH ECO-FRIENDLY TECHNOLOGY
