Check out my six-pack, it’s plastic free!
By: Seb Ward
Tags: Sea, Corona, Environment, Beach, Plastic

It’s a universal truth that there is no better place to enjoy a beer than on the beach with a group of mates. However, the beaches we know are under attack; not by sea monsters or giant sharks, but by plastic. According to Green Peace, a shocking 12.7 million tonnes of plastic ends up in our ocean each year. To put that volume into perspective, it’s equivalent to a truck load of rubbish every minute.

The reason this post started by directing your thoughts towards beer (other than the fact it’s a nice thing to distract yourself with mid-week, whilst sat in the office), is because a lot of the plastic found in our ocean comes from these beverages: in particular, the six-pack rings that hold them together. [GS1] This seemingly harmless packaging material has devastating consequences, trapping around 100,000 marine mammals and sea turtles, and killing approximately one million sea birds (The Independent).

If we continue at the rate we are currently going, the next generation are unlikely to see what we think of as paradise. Corona highlighted this fear through their World Oceans Day campaign last summer, whereby they hijacked images of paradise and inserted plastic in places it doesn’t belong. They also released a limited-edition Hawaiian shirt, replacing tropical imagery with graphics of plastic.

Corona’s limited-edition Hawaiian shirt

Given that ‘the beach is an important part of Corona’s DNA’ (Business Wire), it is no surprise that the drinks brand are fervently campaigning to reduce the volume of plastic in the sea. However, they have gone one step further than just campaigning and created plastic-free six pack rings for their beers.

Unlike the industry standard polyethylene rings that are photodegradable and merely break down into smaller pieces of plastic if not recycled, these new rings are composed of plant-based, biodegradable fibres mixed with by-product waste and compostable materials. If left, the material will break down into organic particles that are not harmful to wildlife. This revolutionary packaging will start its journey in Corona’s homeland, Mexico, before being distributed globally.

Corona’s six-pack, biodegradable rings

Whilst Corona, owned by the drinks giant AB InBev, is the first global beer brand to announce these changes, they follow in the footsteps of Saltwater Brewery, a small brewery from Florida who started producing their Eco Six Pack Rings two years ago. Under the trademark E6PR™, this small business has had a large impact, essentially launching the movement towards biodegradable rings.

Even when it comes to global giants, however, AB InBev aren’t the only ones making radical changes. Corona’s competitor, Carlsberg, have introduced the “snap pack” (The Guardian). Effectively, cans in four, six or eight-packs will be held together by little blobs of glue that can be recycled along with the can itself. The Danish company has claimed that this will cut plastic use by 76% when compared to traditional multi-packs.

Evidently, there is a shift in breweries mentality towards their use of plastic and it is promising to see such big names in the industry taking this epidemic seriously.

If you believe in the direction brands such as Corona are going, Tumelo’s socially responsible investing app gives you the ability to support the actions they are taking by investing in them. At Tumelo, we encourage you to invest in companies that are progressing in line with your values (environment, gender, innovation..). Otherwise, if you’re not quite ready to invest, you can opt into buying plastic-free beer and make a toast to protecting paradise.

Go to www.tumelo.com to learn more

Join the discussion at community.tumelo.com

This article does not constitute investment advice and individual investors should make their own decisions or seek independent advice. As with all investing, the value of investments can go up as well as down and you may receive back less than your original investment.