Guinness removes plastic from multi-packs

Ireland |Guinness’ parent company, Diageo, has announced that the iconic Irish stout will no longer use plastic rings or shrink wrap. Instead, the company will invest USD 21 million to replace plastic with 100 percent recyclable and biodegradable cardboard.

The new packaging, which will also be found on Diageo’s other products, Harp and Smithwick’s, will be introduced in Ireland in August and the rest of the world by August 2020.

Diageo says that less than 5 percent of its total packaging is plastic and the changes will reduce usage by over 400 tonnes annually. Diageo’s bottling and packaging plant in Belfast, Northern Ireland, will be the first site producing the new packs.

Already last year, Carlsberg UK switched to using blobs of strong glue instead of plastic to hold together cans of its Carlsberg Export beer. The company estimated that the change will reduce plastic waste globally by more than 1,200 tonnes per year.