Corona’s new packaging is made from barley straw. Credit: Business Wire

Belgium-based beverage company Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) has launched a new sustainable packaging design for its world-famous Corona beer brand.

The design uses leftover barley straw from farmers’ harvests to create a paper board for producing packaging.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Related Company Profiles

View all

To make the packaging, the straw is combined with fully recycled wood fibres in a unique pulping process that takes the straw’s relative fragility into account.

For this design, AB InBev has used technology and processes that its Global Innovation and Technology Centre (GITEC) had been developing for the past three years.

The company claims the packaging is as strong and durable as a regular six-pack, but more environmentally friendly.

Corona Global marketing vice-president Felipe Ambra said: “Corona is a brand born at the beach. We’re deeply connected with nature and appreciate all that it has to offer, so we want to continue to do our part to protect it.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

“Our deep reverence for nature is what inspires our vision to become a sustainability leader in the consumer-packaged goods (CPG) industry, because we want everyone to be able to keep enjoying paradise.

“Starting with our own packaging, we assessed where we could make changes within our production and supply chains to make a real difference. We are proud to announce this first step in reinventing the future of packaging for our industry.”

The packaging is currently being trialled in Colombia, where it has been launched on 10,000 Corona six-packs. It is due to be launched in Argentina later in the year.

AB InBev will also consider rolling out the technology to other brands once the trials are complete.

Last year, AB InBev’s Brazil-based subsidiary Ambev revealed plans to eliminate all its plastic packaging by 2025.