Budweiser UK&I eliminates plastic rings from beer portfolio with recyclable paperboard KeelClip

21 Oct 2020 --- After pledging to remove the unrecyclable plastic rings from its canned drinks 13 months ago, Budweiser Brewing Group UK and Ireland has announced success in reaching its goal.

Budweiser is replacing plastic rings with KeelClip technology, a recyclable paperboard alternative, in the UK and Ireland. Plastic shrink wrapping is also being removed from all beverage multipacks.

The company’s production sites in South Wales and Lancashire are also upgrading three canning lines and now producing up to 4,000 cans of beer per minute. Beer brands affected by the change include Budweiser, Bud Light, Stella Artois and Beck’s. 

Together these brands account for over 870 million cans produced annually. The reduction in plastic resulting from the changes equates to 850 tons of plastic waste savings each year, the same weight as 67 double-decker buses. 

Death of the plastic ring 
Plastic rings used to bind canned drinks were introduced 60 years ago and seen as a revolutionary innovation at the time, says Budweiser. However, consumer attitudes to plastic rings have become more negative in light of the increasingly publicized global plastic pollution crisis. 

A recent Opinion Matters survey of 1000 UK consumers revealed that, when considering plastic rings, over half of Brits (56%) immediately think of wildlife trapped in them and a similar amount (53%) of ocean pollution.

When asked more broadly about single-use plastics, 82 percent of respondents said the reduction of the UK’s consumption is important and 27 percent even said they feel guilty when they buy products with single-use plastic.

KeelClip is a paperboard alternative to increasingly unpopular and unrecyclable plastic rings.Budweiser is not the only company to react to the rise in negative perceptions toward plastic-rings. Last year, Mexican beer brand Corona released an innovation using screw threads at the top and bottom of each can, making them stackable without the need for extra packaging. 

Paving the way for future innovations
Steve Gould, new product development and marketing director of the Beverage Division at Graphic Packaging International, says that the introduction of the KeelClip is paving the way for more innovations aimed at improving packaging circularity.

“As a second phase to the project, Graphic Packaging currently has several initiatives underway to deliver additional material, carbon and cost savings. We’ll work in collaboration with partners to deliver greater resource efficiency through board caliper and adhesive reductions, and we’re also developing an ‘Eco’ version of KeelClip.”

“Both solutions will run over existing KeelClip machinery and provide the same billboarding opportunities and can orientation options to continue enhancing the brand.”

“With hygiene so critical to food and drink safety standards, both packs benefit from covered can tops, which keeps them clean,” Gould concludes. 

Sustainability goals 2025 
The release is made as part of the Budweiser Brewing Company’s broader environmental sustainability goals. By 2025, it aims to have 100 percent of its packaging made from majority recycled material. 

The company is also helping local farmers become financially empowered by using 100 percent British barley in its brewing process. 

A 25 percent reduction in CO2 emissions is also on the horizon, with delivery trucks in the UK already beginning to use vehicles powered by liquified natural gas. 

Meanwhile, truck sharing will reduce the number of journeys being made, taking 300 vehicles off the roads and reducing carbon emissions by 46,000 kg. 

In the coming months, Budweiser says it will achieve 100 percent renewable electricity in its production sites. 

COVID-19 hindering plastics-reduction progress
The COVID-19 virus outbreak is harming efforts to reduce plastic usage throughout the industry. Legislative steps have been postponed in the face of the crisis, notably the transposition of the EU Single-Use Plastic Directive into domestic law in most European countries, allowing industry to delay addressing upcoming measures. 

“We couldn’t have predicted the events of this year, but we were determined not to let this hinder our sustainability progress,” says Paula Lindenburg, president of Budweiser Brewing Group UK.

“It’s why I’m so proud that we’ve met our target of removing plastic rings and shrink wrap from all our canned beers.”

By Louis Gore-Langton