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Corona will pilot 100 percent plastic-free six pack rings in select markets—the first global beer brand to attempt the switch after moves from smaller beer companies.
The plant-based rings will be piloted in Tulum, Mexico—Corona's homeland—at the beginning of 2019.
Corona's move is part of a larger effort with the environmental organization Parley for the Oceans to switch to eco-friendly packaging to help curb plastic pollution, according to a press release.
"The beach is an important part of Corona's DNA and we have been working with Parley to address the issue on the frontlines where plastic is physically accumulating," Corona Better World Director Evan Ellman said in the press release. "We also recognize the influence a global brand like Corona can have on the industry, and with the support of Parley, are pursuing scalable solutions like plastic-free six pack rings that can become a new standard to avoid plastic for good."
Corona is testing its rings made from "plant-based biodegradable fibers, with a mix of by-product waste and compostable materials," the press release said. If littered, "they break down into organic material that is not harmful to wildlife."
Six-pack rings have long been detested by environmentalists who warn that the material clogs our shores and oceans and could potentially strangle marine life.
Florida's Saltwater Brewery kick-started the ring reinvention two years ago with a compostable substitute derived from wheat and barley byproducts, meaning it could be safely eaten by turtles and fish. The project was a collaboration with Eco Six Pack Ring's, New York ad agency We Believers and a Mexican biodegradable manufacturer called Entelequia. The microbrewer's rings can now be found at Florida outlets such as Publix, Total Wine & More, Whole Foods Market, Lucky's Market and ABC Fine Wine & Spirits.
In September, Danish beer company Carlsberg announced it is phasing out the plastic rings connecting its cans. The rings will be replaced with a glue that withstands cold temperatures and can be recycled along with the can.
Parley founder and CEO Cyrill Gutsch said in the press release that Corona is a "powerful ally in our war against marine plastic pollution—and in building the material revolution that will lead us beyond it."
"We share the goal of phasing plastic out for good, because we simply can't afford its toxic impact anymore," he added.
EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
By Anne-Sophie Brändlin
October 16 marks World Food Day this year, a day celebrated every year by the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
World Food Day is a call to make healthy and sustainable diets affordable and accessible for everyone, while nurturing the planet at the same time.
When you have a whale-sized appetite, you need to figure out some pretty sophisticated feeding strategies. They mysteries of how a humpback whale traps so much prey have eluded scientists, until now.
An advisory panel appointed by Trump's first Secretary of the Interior, Ryan Zinke, has recommended privatizing National Parks campgrounds, allowing food trucks in and setting up WiFi at campgrounds while also reducing benefits to seniors, according to the panel's memo.
Iowa’s Farmers – and American Eaters – Need a National Discussion on Transforming U.S. Agriculture
By Lisa Schulte Moore
Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses bring the state a lot of political attention during presidential election cycles. But in my view, even though some candidates have outlined positions on food and farming, agriculture rarely gets the attention it deserves.
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By Dr. Charles Owubah
As a child growing up on a farm in Ghana, I have personally known hunger. The most challenging time was between planting and harvesting – "the hunger season." There were many occasions when we did not know where the next meal would come from.
Today, on World Food Day, I think of the 820 million people around the world who are undernourished.
Biomedical engineers have developed a new, rapid test capable of detecting Lyme disease in just 15 minutes.
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Trump Admin Moves Closer to Slashing Protections for World’s Largest Temperate Rainforest
The Trump administration has moved one step closer to opening Earth's largest intact temperate rainforest to logging.
On Tuesday night, the Democratic presidential candidates gathered for what The Guardian said was the largest primary debate in U.S. history, and they weren't asked a single question about the climate crisis.