Coors Light is nixing plastic rings from its packaging, and the beermaker says it will take 1.7 million pounds annually out of the garbage.
The company said Tuesday that it would make the decision global, moving away from the rings to fully recyclable cardboard-wrap carriers later in 2022.
Hey, I’m all for reducing those Pacific and Atlantic Ocean garbage patches. People Magazine reported on the move.
Beer Company Making An Impact
In a release, the company said it would make Coors the most extensive beer brand in North America to make the switch. The company likely follows many smaller brewers into the cardboard box container world.
Molson Coors says it’s putting $85 million into its operations to upgrade to cardboard. Further plans call for the company’s entire portfolio of brands to do the cardboard thing by the end of 2025.
Other notable domestic company brands include Belgian Moon, Blue Moon, Foster’s, Killian’s, Grolsch, Icehouse, Keystone Light, Milwaukee’s Best, Olde English, and Zima.
The company set a 2017 goal to have 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging by 2025. That included their consumer-facing plastic packaging made from at least 30% recycled content.
America Last To Move Away From Rings
The company’s brands in the United Kingdom dropped the plastic rings for the cardboard last year. Molson Coors also moved to sustainable plastic rings in Canada last year. Now, Canadian cans are also part of the new announcement.
“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,” Molson Coors CEO Gavin Hattersley said.
In the announcement, Hattersley recalled the company’s pioneering recyclable aluminum can from 1959. Their two-piece cans (can and lid) revolutionized the beer industry back then.
Rings Ain’t The Thing No More To Coors
Beermakers and soda bottlers have used the traditional plastic rings for years. For years, they’ve caused havoc with the environment, resulting in the plastic object ending in bird and fish stomachs.
I remember television ads and environmental groups continued to encourage kids and adults to cut them up for years. But sadly, the plastic ends up somewhere for hundreds of years.
People noted that plastic ring production started 60 years ago. National Geographic said companies had produced 8.3 billion metric tons of the rings. Also, this plastic takes more than 400 years to degrade. National Geographic also reported that 91 percent of the plastic won’t get recycled.
By the way, don’t Google what plastic will do to the oceans by mid-century. There could be more plastic waste than fish then, so that’s why Coors is hoping to reduce its plastic footprint.
Coors Light Celebrating Change With Big Apple Pop Up Store
The beer maker showing off the new packaging and patting themselves on the back with a sustainable pop-up concept store.
The “Plastic-Free Future Mart by Coors Light” is located at 603 Manhattan Ave. in Brooklyn, New York. The store is open to adults 21+ from noon until 7 p.m. through Sunday, March 6.
