Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I becomes plastic-ring free

Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I, a proud part of AB InBev, has announced that its iconic portfolio of beers is now plastic-ring free - eliminating 250 tonnes of plastic every year across its full canned beer range, including Budweiser, Bud Light and Stella Artois.

In total, combined with decreasing its usage of plastic shrink wrap, the brewer has removed 850 tonnes of plastic waste, the equivalent weight of 67 double decker buses, from its supply chains.

Budweiser Brewing Group first announced this ambition in September 2019, investing £6.3 million into the packaging infrastructure at its breweries in South Wales and Lancashire, and in just 13 months, has reached today’s milestone.

The sites, which together produce more than 4,000 cans per minute, upgraded three canning lines. Now, the sites are fully equipped to produce alternatives to plastic rings, including fully recyclable wraps and Keel Clip, a new technology which uses recyclable paperboard to create a lighter weight pack.

Paula Lindenberg, President of Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I, said: “Sustainability and the wellbeing of our planet is one of the most important priorities for our business. We couldn’t have predicted the events of this year, but we were determined to not let this hinder our sustainability progress. It’s why I’m so proud that we’ve met our target of removing plastic rings and shrink wrap from all our canned beers. Thanks to the hard work of our teams, there will be no plastic rings on any canned beer that leaves our breweries in the UK from today.”

Steve Gould, Innovation and Marketing Director, Graphic Packaging International said: “We share the same vision as Budweiser Brewing Group when it comes to sustainable packaging. That’s why it’s been great to work together to roll out KeelClip™ across its iconic portfolio of canned beers. KeelClip is made from renewable sources, is easy to use and, crucially, to recycle. We’re proud to be playing a part in helping the beer industry contribute to the future of the planet.”