Sipping sustainability: Guinness sheds plastic packaging from beer packs

15 Apr 2019 --- In a £16 million (US$21 million) move, plastic ring carriers and shrink wrap are to be removed from multipacks of Diageo’s Guinness, Harp and Smithwick’s beers. In its place comes 100 percent recyclable and biodegradable cardboard packaging, with a recycled content level of 15 percent. The new packs will be on Irish shelves from August 2019 and in the UK and all other export markets from Summer 2020.

Currently, under 5 percent of Diageo’s total packaging is plastic and this change will reduce its plastic usage by over 400 tons annually. This is the equivalent of removing 40 million 50cl plastic bottles from the world, which, if laid out in a row, would reach from London to Beijing (8,136km), the company notes.

“Consumers expect our packs to look beautiful, be functional and sustainable. In this investment we have been able to combine all three. We sought to make our packaging more environmentally friendly for Guinness and our other global beer brands,” says David Cutter, Diageo’s Chief Sustainability Officer and President, Global Supply & Procurement.

The company notes that the cardboard has a recycled content level of 15 percent, as any more shortens the overall fiber length and compromises packaging performance and strength. 

A company spokesperson tells PackagingInsights that the packaging portfolio of the company is 90 percent glass, 5 percent aluminum and less than 5 percent PET. 

“We have an integrated plastics strategy as part of our broader Sustainable Packaging Strategy and we have technical teams across the world assessing opportunities to improve the sustainability of the materials we use. We are committed to working in partnership with other FMCGs, NGOs such as the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, our manufacturing partners and the wider recycling industry to ensure we play a part in finding sustainable packing solutions,” they add.

In a recent nod to sustainability in Africa, Diageo became a founding member of the Africa Plastics Recycling Alliance, alongside Nestlé, Unilever and the Coca-Cola Company. 

The alliance says that plastic must remain a primary packaging material so that African consumers can continue to have access to the safe and affordable products they need. However, it must be ensured that used packaging does not end up as litter. Unfortunately, a lack of collection and recycling facilities in many African markets coupled with growing populations is creating a growing problem of plastic waste.

Sustainability strides
The alcoholic drinks category has made some significant strides regarding sustainability. According to Innova Market Insights, alcoholic beverage NPD packaged in aluminum has grown. The average annual growth of alcoholic beverage launches in aluminum tracked reached 29 percent, while glass launches reached only 12 percent (CAGR 2014-2018). This could demonstrate how suppliers are moving away from glass in a bid to lightweight their packaging and save on carbon emissions. Aluminum is also often regarded as a more sustainable alternative to plastic, especially as consumer’s exhibit rising anti-plastic sentiment. 

This trend was clear at the recent IFE show in London, where alternatives to PET bottled water were trending. 

Meanwhile, London-based Garçon Wines has launched a new Flat Bottle Case that is aimed at maximizing efficiency, saving space and slashing excessive packaging and carbon emissions. Developed in collaboration with packaging industry lead player DS Smith, the case can hold ten full-sized, flat wine bottles in a case that would fit only four traditional round bottles of the same 75cl volume. The launch is the latest in a string of headline-grabbing offerings from Garçon Wines, who seek to significantly advance wine logistics, packaging and sustainability with its flat, PET wine bottles. 

Last year, Danish brewers the Carlsberg Group hit the headlines as it launched the new Snap Pack: an innovation that replaces the traditional, bulky plastic rings that accompany multi-packs of beer with a pioneering solution that instead bonds beer cans together with recyclable glue. The technology is set to reduce plastic waste globally by more than 1200 tons a year – the equivalent to 60 million plastic bags, according to the brewery. 

The Snap Pack is a world first for the beer industry, reducing the amount of plastic used in traditional multi-packs by up to 76 percent. The Snap Pack holds Carlsberg Expørt cans together with small pieces of a specially developed glue in small dots, which are easily snapped apart when required, but robust enough to stand up to handling to and from the store.

As sustainability becomes an expectation – as opposed to a perk – in packaging, all market sectors will need to innovate around it.

By Laxmi Haigh