Diageo to eliminate plastic packaging from beer products
Diageo has become the latest major manufacturer to make a large-scale sustainable pledge. 400 tonnes of plastic packaging are to be eliminated from Diageo beer products, to be replaced by biodegradable cardboard. The new packaging will be seen on shelves later this year.
Print16 April 2019
Diageo has pledged its resources to a sustainable future by investing €18m to reduce the amount of plastic used in its beer packaging. Plastic ring carriers and branded shrink wrap will be removed from Guinness, Harp, Rockshore and Smithwicks. Diageo’s bottling and packaging plant in Northern Ireland will be the first of the company’s global operations to shift to the new manufacturing process, which will involve an £8m investment in the plant.
The new packs will be on shelf on all beer brands in the island of Ireland from August 2019 and from Summer 2020 in the UK and other export markets.
Diageo says its new appraoch to packaging will eliminate 400 tonnes of plastic packaging from circulation annually. Multi-can plastic rings and packs will be replaced by sustainably sourced, biodegradable and recyclable cardboard packaging. Individual cans will be – as before – recyclable, including the plastic widget inside cans of Draught Guinness.
Oliver Loomes, country director of Diageo Ireland, said that managing environmental impact has become a key concern of the business. “For 260 years,” he said, “Guinness has played a vital role in the communities it serves. We already have one of the most sustainable breweries in the world at St. James’s Gate and we are now leading the way in sustainable packaging. This is good news for the environment and for our brand.”
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