In Chicago, popular beer brand Coors Light will eliminate the plastic ring packaging that holds six packs together by the end of this year, and parent company Molson Coors plans to do the same across its North American brands by the end of 2025.
The move will require a nearly $85-million investment in packaging machinery for the transition to fully recyclable and sustainably sourced cardboard-wrap carriers. The transition will save 1.7 million pounds of plastic waste annually.
“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,” says Molson Coors CEO Gavin Hattersley. “Just as Coors led the way by pioneering the recyclable aluminum can, Coors Light will lead the way by moving out of single-use plastic rings in North America.”
Coors Light debuted the new packaging recently at Plastic-Free Future Mart by Coors Light, a “super sustainable pop-up concept” store in Brooklyn, New York.