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
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.
“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.
