Beverage company Labatt Breweries of Canada has announced a C$9m investment in its Turning Point Brewery in British Columbia.  

This investment is aimed at introducing new machinery to eliminate the use of plastic rings and introduce a new format for packaging cans. 

The initiative is part of a larger effort by Labatt, which has seen more than C$32.6m invested last year to remove single-use plastics from its operations across three additional breweries in Canada. 

The company invested C$10.5m in St John's, Newfoundland and C$13.1m in London, Ontario, last year.  

The new packaging machinery at Turning Point was installed in December 2023 and testing and production commenced earlier this year.  

Labatt Breweries of Canada Legal & Corporate Affairs VP Jeff Ryan said: "This investment in our facility in Delta, British Columbia is part of Labatt's ongoing capital spending to enhance our Canadian facilities and processes. 

"By investing in new machinery to eliminate plastic rings when packing cans, we are taking another step forward towards a more sustainable future." 

Cutwater will be one of the first brands to leverage the new packaging system. 

In addition to tequila and rum-based Cutwater products for Canada, the Turning Point facility produces other ready-to-drink brands, including NÜTRL, Tempo Gin, Mike's, and Palm Bay. 

Ryan added: "Expanding the capabilities of the Turning Point Brewery is an important aspect of our ability to meet consumer demand for premium ready-to-drink products."