Heineken UK has become the latest food & drink firm to unveil plans to tackle plastic waste with the brewer saying it will remove plastic rings and shrink wrapping from its entire portfolio of beer and cider multi-pack cans.
The move, which is set to take be completed by 2021, will see 517 tonnes of plastic a year being eliminated from the supply chain.
Heineken said it was spending £22m on the plan which will involve the roll-out of a new 100% plastic-free topper in place of the rings. The topper is made from “sustainably sourced” cardboard that is 100% recyclable, compostable and “robust and easy to grip”.
The new packaging will first be rolled out across the Heineken, Foster’s and Kronenbourg 1664 multi-pack cans, and will be available to retailers from April 2020. The Strongbow, Bulmers and John Smith brands will see the new packaging introduced by the end of 2021.
Cindy Tervoort, UK marketing director at Heineken, said: “Creating an eco-friendly solution that eliminates plastic while still meeting the demands of our beer and cider drinkers has been a big focus in our business. Now, after years in development and huge investment, we are extremely pleased to announce our recyclable and compostable topper innovation, a significant milestone in our journey to eliminate all single-use plastic.”
