Coors Light Eliminate 6-pack Plastic Packaging

In a week of continued climate emergency announcements, it’s important to take notice of larger corporations that are making shifts to reduce their environmental impact.

Photo Source: Molson Beverage Company

In an important step to reducing plastic waste, Molson Coors has become the largest beer brand in North America to move away from plastic rings. On March 1st, 2022, CoorsLight announced that it will be eliminating plastic rings from packaging globally, where Molson Coors owns brewing operations.

To support the move to more sustainable packaging, Molson Coors Beverage Company 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. The Canadian transition to cardboard packaging will begin next year and is planned to be completed by the end of 2023.

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. In addition to this significant change, Coors Light in Canada also plans to proudly support Plastic Bank in its goal of helping prevent plastic from entering the world’s oceans in 2022.

“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.”

“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.”

In 1959, Coors revolutionized the beverage industry when it debuted the two-piece recyclable aluminum can. Despite the five years and millions invested in the development of the recyclable can, Coors did not patent the new packaging. Instead, Coors actively encouraged other beverage makers to embrace the recyclable can which led to a recycling revolution.

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.

About Molson Coors: For more than two centuries, Molson Coors has been brewing beverages that unite people to celebrate all life’s moments. From Coors Light, Miller Lite, Molson Canadian, Carling, and Staropramen to Coors Banquet, Blue Moon Belgian White, Blue Moon LightSky, Vizzy Hard Seltzer, Topo Chico Hard Seltzer, Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy, Creemore Springs, Hop Valley and more, Molson Coors produces many beloved and iconic beer brands. Learn more about Molson Coors Beverage Company, visit molsoncoors.com, MolsonCoorsOurImprint.com or on Twitter through @MolsonCoors.