Sustainable Beer

Rio Tinto’s low carbon aluminium is made from renewable hy­dropower along with recycled content. It is with him that the brewer will produce its most sustainable beer can so far, which also implies a reduction in carbon emissions of more than 30% per can. The partnership will also leverage the results of the development of ELYSIS, a disruptive carbon-free aluminium casting technology.

Initially focused on the United States, Anheuser-Busch will test with the first million cans produced through the partnership at Michelob ULTRA.

“As a leader in the beer industry, Michelob ULTRA has a respon­sibility to our consumers and our planet to use our platform for good and lead the way in sustainability,” said Ricardo Marques, vice president of marketing at Michelob ULTRA. “Sustainable packaging is a key opportunity to highlight our commitment to the environment in a tangible way and we are excited to explore opportunities to bring this to life in 2021 and beyond.”

Innovative carbon-free smelting technology is already being marketed in Quebec by Rio Tinto and Alcoa; and now is the brewer’s opportunity to publicize these sustainability benefits in packaging. This technology, called Elysis, works with hydro­electricity and is based on an inert ado rather than a carbon ado, meaning it emits oxygen instead of the carbon dioxide traditionally released into the foundries.

This partnership will take low carbon aluminium to the fore­front, creating a business model where companies work hand in hand with their suppliers to drive innovation and “significant change for our environment.” This was made known by An­heuser-Busch’s vice president of procurement and sustainabil­ity, Ingrid De Ryck.

Currently, about 70% of the aluminium used in AB InBev cans produced in North America is recycled content. By combining this recycled content with low carbon aluminum, the brewer will take a key step towards reducing carbon emissions in its packaging supply chain.

“At Anheuser-Busch, we are constantly looking for new ways to reduce our carbon footprint across our value chain and im­prove the sustainability of our packaging to achieve our ambi­tious sustainability goals,” said Ingrid De Ryck.

Rio Tinto Aluminium CEO Alf Barrios said: “This partnership will deliver cans to AB InBev customers who combine low-carbon aluminum and are responsiblely produced with recycled alu­minum. We look forward to working with AB InBev to continue our leadership in responsible aluminum, providing transparen­cy and traceability throughout the supply chain to meet con­sumer expectations for sustainable packaging”.