Image via Diageo.
The plastic rings that hold together beer cans have long been a symbol of the damage plastic can cause to the environment. We’ve seen it all: a turtle trapped in a ring, forever deformed by the packaging, or a fish choked to death, never to live another day being a, er, fish. Not good, this plastic stuff.Luckily, some beer manufacturers aren’t happy about the damage their plastic packaging is doing to the environment. One of those companies, Diageo, has announced that it will replace the plastic used to package Guinness beer multipacks with completely recyclable cardboard.According to the Guardian, Diageo plans to remove shrinkwrap from its Guinness multipacks in Ireland this August, with the UK and other markets following in 2020. This means that every element of the Guinness can’s packaging, from the aluminium to the nitrogen-filled “widget” that creates bubbles in the drink, will be recyclable.
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This move is part of a £16 million pledge from Diageo to work towards sustainable packaging for all of the alcohol brands it owns, which includes Smirnoff, Bailey’s, and Johnnie Walker. Currently, less than five percent of the company’s packaging is plastic, and this switch to cardboard Guinness packaging will further reduce the amount of waste by 400 tonnes a year.Eliminating plastic in food and drink packaging is essential in the fight to combat environmental damage. A recent report by Plastic Oceans UK and the Earthwatch Institute found that plastic bottles and food packaging were among the worst pollutants of European waterways. Eighty percent of the plastics in the rivers and streams of Europe end up in the ocean, further damaging marine life.Diageo isn’t alone in its drive to reduce plastic food and drink packaging. Carlsberg recently switched to recyclable glue to secure beer can multipacks, while numerous supermarkets have pledged to reduce plastic waste, including Morissons, which has begun trialling paper bags.Feels like cause for a celebration. Anyone for a pint?
