Molson Coors enhances six-pack circularity with recyclable RingCycles technology

28 Jul 2020 --- Molson Coors has adopted Hi-Cone’s partially recycled plastic rings for its Coors Light six-packs, available at grocery outlets across Ontario, Canada. The RingCycles solution contains more than 50 percent recycled content and requires 90 percent less non-renewable energy and 83 percent less water to make. Molson Coors is the first beverage company in North America to adopt RingCycles and has set its sights on educating consumers on responsible plastic waste disposal.

“We understand that consumers’ expectations of companies are changing and there is more trust in the private sector to be part of the solution to help build a more [environmentally] sustainable future for all. We take our role in helping to address these challenges seriously. It’s all part of our commitment to leave a positive imprint on the communities where we live, make and sell our products,” a Molson Coors spokesperson tells PackagingInsights.

Introducing the RingCycles six-pack rings is the “next step” in Molson Coors’ commitment to ensuring at least 30 percent recycled content is incorporated in all of its consumer-facing plastic packaging. Notably, RingCycles can be sent back to Hi-Cone to be recycled and made into new products.

Moreover, RingCycles emits 75 percent less greenhouse gas emissions than a similar product made of virgin plastic, the company states. Molson Coors’ pilot program will be rolling out RingCycles six-pack and eight-pack rings across Canada and the US in the upcoming months. 

The beer carrier rings also state in English and French, “To recycle, please go to RingRecycleMe.com.” This aligns directly with “The Language of Environmental Sustainability,” Innova Market Insights’s top-ranking packaging trend for 2020, which details how brands are increasingly finding a competitive advantage in more prominent on-pack communication of their packaging’s environmental sustainability credentials.

Different regional approaches
The US RingCycles packaging will “look a little different,” highlights the Molson Coors spokesperson. In Canadian markets, six-pack rings are applied in the middle of the aluminum cans – called mid-cone – while in the US, the rings are rim-applied on the top of the aluminum cans. “We will be testing these rim-applied six-pack rings in the US later this year and will aim to roll them out across the US in early 2021.”

The RingCycles offer an opportunity to educate Coors Light consumers on what’s possible with their waste.Every country, market and municipality have different requirements and recycling constraints, Molson Coors continues. “Our goal is to partner with others in our local markets to address specific challenges to recycling, whether that involves improving recycling solutions to increase recycling rates, capture better quality recyclables or reducing waste.”

For instance, Molson Coors is part of The Recycling Partnership in the US. This organization provides grants, technical assistance, research, partnerships and other tools to help communities across the country improve the recycling system and prevent landfill waste.

Future circularity goals
According to Molson Coors’ Imprint Report 2020, the company has four main goals it aims to achieve by 2025. The first is ensuring at least 30 percent recycled content is in all consumer-facing plastic packaging – to which the RingCycles move directly contributes. 

Another major projected achievement is to make all Molson Coors packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable. Since the end of 2019, 99.3 percent fits these criteria. “The less than 1 percent of our packaging that is not recyclable currently includes Hi-Cone six-pack rings, shrink wrap and PET bottles, which has a protective nylon layer that prohibits them from being easily recyclable. The nylon layer is essential to help us maintain freshness of our beverages and give consumers the best experience with our products,” the spokesperson explains.

Since 2016, the company has achieved a 14.6 percent reduction in absolute packaging carbon emissions, which is still a few percentage points shy of its 26 percent reduction goal. Also, Molson Coors participates in waste-prevention organizations in four out of the 13 countries it aims to engage with to increase recycling rates or reduce waste in priority markets.

In similar developments, Grolsch brought Smurfit Kappa's plastic-alternative beverage carrier to market in March, while Budweiser Brewing Group introduced “Keel Clip” technology to eliminate plastic rings in September 2019. 

“Packaging is something that consumers see. When they pick up a six-pack of Coors Light, the packaging helps represent our company. It’s a visual manifestation of what we’re all about,” concludes Natalie Lau, Corporate Responsibility Manager for Molson Coors.

By Anni Schleicher

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