Corona has launched a circular form of packaging for its six-packs made form barley straw. The barley straw, normally leftover from farmers’ harvests, goes through a pulping process which, when combined with 100 percent recycled wood fibers, creates a paper board that is as durable as traditional cardboard packaging, according to the company.
Turning barley straw into paper fiber uses 90 percent less water in its production than the traditional virgin wood process, along with less energy and fewer harsh chemicals, according to the company.
Upon completion of the successful pilot, AB InBev, Corona’s parent company, will consider rolling out the technology to other brands.
“Our deep reverence for nature is what inspires our vision to become a sustainability leader in the CPG industry,” said Felipe Ambra, global vice president of marketing at Corona, in a statement. “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.”
In other sustainable packaging news, Mars Wrigley and Danimer Scientific have entered a two-year partnership to develop home-compostable packaging for the former’s products.
Danimer Scientific's packaging is produced through natural fermentation processes using plant oils such as soy and canola and biodegrades in both soil and marine environments. Mars will continue to evaluate opportunities to scale this novel, innovative and sustainable packaging technology across its portfolio of brands and categories.
The initial kick off will take place in North America with the goal of reaching additional markets with underdeveloped recycling infrastructures where littering and leakage into nature are especially problematic. Mars Wrigley's first on-the-shelf offerings, with its Skittles brand, are tentatively targeted for late 2021 or early 2022.
"The impact of plastic on nature is one of the major sustainability challenges of our generation. There are no simple solutions and transformational innovation is necessary, we have to think and act differently," said Alastair Child, Mars Wrigley VP of global sustainability, in a statement. "Collaborating with Danimer to advance this breakthrough technology represents a major step to creating positive societal impact and better environmental outcomes across the full lifecycle of small, flexible packaging."
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Image: Business Wire/Corona