Coors Light today announced it will eliminate plastic rings from packaging globally, where Molson Coors owns brewing operations, and is set to become the largest beer brand in North America to move away from plastic rings. To support the move to more sustainable packaging, Molson Coors Beverage Company (NYSE: TAP) will invest $85 million, enabling Coors Light to begin the transition to fully recyclable and sustainably sourced cardboard-wrap carriers later this year.
The Molson Coors investment will upgrade packaging machinery, which will also allow the company’s entire North American portfolio of brands to advance to cardboard wrap carriers by the end of 2025. In total, the move by Molson Coors will save 1.7 million pounds of plastic waste annually. In 2021, Molson Coors removed plastic rings across all major brands sold in the United Kingdom, including Coors and Carling, and transitioned to recyclable cardboard sleeves. Molson Coors in Canada moved to more sustainable plastic rings in 2021 as an initial step, and as part of today’s announcement commits to eliminate plastic rings entirely.
“Our business, and Coors in particular, has a long history of using packaging innovation to protect our environment, and today we are building on that rich legacy,” said Molson Coors CEO Gavin Hattersley. “Just as Coors led the way by pioneering the recyclable aluminum can, Coors Light will lead the way by moving out of single-use plastic rings in North America.”
In Canada, Coors Light’s transition from plastic rings to its new cardboard packaging will begin in the next year and is planned to be completed by the end of 2023. This spring, Coors Light in Canada also plans to proudly support Plastic Bank in its mission of helping prevent plastic from entering the world’s oceans in 2022.
“We believe that buying beer shouldn’t mean buying plastic,” said Marcelo Pascoa, Vice President of Marketing for the Coors Family of Brands. “That’s why we’re taking a step toward making packaging even more sustainable, and with this achievement Coors Light will save 400,000 pounds of single-use plastic from becoming waste across North America every year.”
Molson Coors set ambitious sustainability goals in 2017 to shape the company and set new standards for the beer and beverage industry. The three main areas of focus are water, climate and packaging. The Coors Light announcement today pushes Molson Coors closer to its goal of ensuring packaging is 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable, and consumer-facing plastic packaging is made from at least 30% recycled content by the end of 2025.
Learn more about Molson Coors’ sustainability targets and programs at www.MolsonCoorsOurImprint.com
