COORS LIGHT TO ELIMINATE PLASTIC PACKAGING RINGS

American Coors Light has announced that it will eliminate plastic rings from its packaging worldwide, becoming the largest beer brand in North America to make such a move.

This initiative will require an investment of approximately US$85 million. This will enable Molson Coors to upgrade the brewery’s machinery, while allowing the company to transfer the entire portfolio of brands it produces in America away from plastic six-pack rings by 2025.

Molson Coors CEO Gavin Hattersley notes that “our business, and Coors in particular, has a long history of using packaging innovation to protect our environment, and today we are building on that rich legacy,” adding that “just as Coors led the way in pioneering the recyclable aluminum can, Coors Light will lead the way by abandoning single-use plastic rings in North America.

The brand will begin packaging its can packs with fully recyclable and sustainably sourced cardboard wrapping later this year marking a key step for Molson Coors in its quest to reduce its environmental footprint in line with its 2025 sustainability goals.

Tracey Schenck, senior marketing manager for Coors Light emphasizes that “as one of the world’s largest beer brands, we constantly evaluate how we can improve and evolve our packaging to meet environmental and consumer standards, and we are very proud of this step today. We hope it will inspire others in the industry to do the same.”

Molson Coors will apply the measure to more than 30 brands, eliminating about 1.7 million pounds of plastic waste per year in the U.S., Canada and Latin America by 2025.