Molson Coors commits to 100% sustainable packaging, 50% reduction in absolute emissions by 2025
Today, Molson Coors Brewing Company launched a set of new goals to reduce
plastics in its packaging, aiming for 100 percent to be reusable, recyclable,
compostable or biodegradable by 2025. It is also strengthening its goals to
drive down packaging emissions, use more recycled materials in its plastic
packaging and improve recycling solutions in its key markets. The brewing giant
made the new packaging commitments as part of the release of its 2019
sustainability
report.
“As a global brewer with a strong family heritage, we have always taken
seriously our responsibility to brew a more sustainable future,” Molson Coors
CEO Mark Hunter said. “Plastic waste poses a clear environmental challenge,
and as a consumer-packaged goods company, we play an important role in helping
to solve the global waste crisis.”
The report also details the company’s latest performance against its 2025 Our
Beer Print sustainability
goals
and its recently approved science-based emission-reduction target, which aligns
with the Paris Agreement and has been verified by the Science Based Targets
initiative (SBTi).
Science-based
targets
offer a roadmap for companies to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to
a level of decarbonization required to limit global temperature increase to well
below 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial temperatures. Molson Coors’
2025 goal to lower absolute emissions by 50 percent within its direct operations
was determined as ambitious enough to meet the requirements of the 1.5°C pathway
— the latest and most aggressive recommendations set forth by the recent IPCC
report.
“Congratulations to Molson Coors on having their emissions reduction targets
validated by the Science Based Targets initiative,” said Cynthia Cummis,
Director of Private Sector Climate Mitigation at World Resources
Institute, an SBTi partner. “By setting a target for their operations that aims for the most
ambitious goal of the Paris Agreement — to limit global warming to 1.5°C —
Molson Coors are charting a path towards a sustainable and thriving future.”
Promoting innovative packaging solutions
The company’s new packaging strategy sets forth four clear goals:
-
Make 100 percent of packaging reusable, recyclable, compostable or
biodegradable — the strategy includes plans to move from a five-layer PET
bottle to a three-layer bottle in the US to enhance its recyclability.
Additionally, Colorado Native, one of the company’s craft brands, has become
the first Molson Coors brand to test a new plastic-free, fiber-based
six-pack
ring
for beverage cans. The rings — produced by Gilbert, Ariz.-based manufacturer
Footprint — are made from post-industrial recycled fiber and are 100
percent bio-based, recyclable and compostable in commercial composting
facilities.
-
Incorporate at least 30 percent recycled content in plastics packaging —
while plastics comprise less than 2 percent of global packaging mix by
weight, Molson Coors seeks to achieve at least 30 percent recycled content
in its PET bottles, plastic film wrap and plastic
rings. In
the UK, the business has set a goal of removing plastic rings from
Carling and Coors Light cans by the end of March 2021, switching to
100 percent recyclable cardboard sleeves. The UK business also plans to
remove the plastic film wrap from large multipacks by the end of March 2020,
moving these packs into cardboard packaging.
-
Improve recycling infrastructure for communities, government and
industries — to support this target, the company has joined The Recycling
Partnership — a group of 45 leading
brands promoting more jobs in the circular economy, more material recovery
and stronger, more equitable communities within the US. As a multinational
company, Molson Coors is also taking the commitment global. The company has
signed on to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's New Plastics Economy Global
Commitment.
-
Reduce carbon emissions from packaging by 26 percent — the brewer is
also strengthening its goal to reduce carbon emissions from its packaging,
which is the largest source of emissions across its value chain. As part of
its effort to reduce its value chain emissions by 50 percent by 2025, Molson
Coors set a target to cut packaging emissions by 26 percent, based on a 2016
baseline. The company is working collaboratively with its packaging
suppliers to achieve its emissions-reduction goal. The effort involves
making continuous improvements to packaging type and materials, in addition
to working together to promote the use of more renewable energy sources
where possible.
Keeping a comprehensive approach
A key element of the company’s overall sustainability strategy is working toward
a circular economy. Actions such as capturing clean water for reuse, turning
wastewater into biogas for onsite energy, sending spent
grain
to be used for animal feed and cutting down the waste sent to landfills are
among the company’s efforts.
So far, the brewer says it has achieved zero waste to landfill at 17 of its
brewing and manufacturing facilities — an improvement of three sites over the
last year.
Molson Coors has invested more than $20 million over the past 10 years to
“future-proof" its
beer
by helping its barley farmers manage climate-related risks, and providing
financial incentives to encourage growers to adopt more sustainable practices
and to collect and report their sustainability metrics to the company. As a
result of these and other efforts, 99 percent of the its barley and hops growers
in the US and the UK are aligned with sustainable growing practices.
The company also aims to continue to implement water stewardship programs and
protect local water resources in partnership with others. Molson Coors has
implemented long-standing water stewardship programs in collaboration with
communities for its at-risk brewing sites to improve and maintain the health
local watersheds.
“More than securing our business, we want to secure our planet,” Hunter says.
“We want to ensure that every glass of beer we brew supports our communities and
protects our environment for future generations.”
Poland Spring, The Recycling Partnership help consumers determine what’s #NotTrash
Image credit: Instagram
Recent research shows that less than 30 percent
of plastic bottles
are currently recycled in the US, and less than half of recyclables in US
homes
get recycled by consumers. So, this week, Nestle Waters North America’s
Poland Spring® brand spring water announced it has joined Molson Coors in
joining forces with The Recycling Partnership, to tackle one of the core reasons
for low recycling rates: Consumer confusion.
This month, Poland Spring and The Recycling Partnership launched their first
Instagram recycling hotline to help to answer the common question, “Can I
recycle this?” Consumers can post a photo of the item in question on their
Instagram feed or in their stories tagging
#NotTrash and
@PolandSpringWtr to ask for help,
and the companies will respond with an answer.
“Consumers are at the heart of everything we do and that means we are constantly
listening to them to understand their needs and preferences,” said Yumiko
Clevenger-Lee, VP and Chief Marketing Officer at Nestlé Waters North America.
“What we’re hearing is that consumers are concerned and confused
about plastic bottles. So, we’re working on innovations like our recently
launched and nationally available Poland Spring ORIGIN in a 100 percent
recycled plastic bottle.
And we’re taking it a step further by working with organizations like The
Recycling Partnership to help remove some of the confusion about recycling.”
Poland Spring is donating $150,000 to The Recycling Partnership to help improve
curbside access to recycling and inspire more US consumers to recycle more,
better. From August 12-23, in partnership with Z100’s nationally syndicated
“Elvis Duran and the Morning Show,” every time listeners post a photo on
Instagram stories or their feed of them recycling an emptied bottle with the cap
on or post a question relating to what can be recycled, and tag #NotTrash and
@PolandSpringWtr, Nestlé Waters North America will donate an additional
dollar per
post to The Recycling Partnership, up to $25,000. The promotion will air across
the radio show’s network of 75 affiliate stations nationwide.
“We are thrilled Poland Spring is joining The Recycling Partnership, and we’re
excited about our collaboration on the #NotTrash campaign,” said Keefe
Harrison, CEO of The Recycling Partnership. “Consumers play a critical role in
reducing waste and improving markets for recyclable materials by recycling
properly. Debunking common recycling myths empowers residents to do their part
to recycle better, which improves their local recycling programs, helps create a
healthier US recycling system, and is good for the planet.”
Poland Spring’s current packaging, which is made from PET plastic, is already
100 percent recyclable. In June, the brand made the industry-leading
commitment to
convert all its individual-sized still water bottles to 100 percent
recycled plastic by 2022 — the brand’s 1L and 1.5L still water sizes have
already made the transition. The brand is also
expanding How2Recycle labels
across all of its packaging, to remind consumers to empty the bottle, replace
the cap and recycle when they’re done — another way Poland Spring has been
helping to alleviate confusion and help make recycling easier.
In addition to packaging innovations, Nestlé Waters North America also supports
recycling infrastructure through investments with organizations such
as the Closed Loop
Fund to
help increase recycling capabilities throughout the U.S.
“We’re on a mission to eliminate the ‘single’ from ‘single-use’ plastics,” said
David Tulauskas, VP and Chief Sustainability Officer at Nestlé Waters North
America. “When valuable plastic like PET is not recycled, it can’t be broken
down and reused to make new products, which is a waste of money and resources.
On the other hand, as more consumers recycle their PET bottles, they increase
the number of bottles that can be made with bottles and reduce the need for
virgin plastic. Working with partners like The Recycling Partnership helps to
make recycling as convenient as possible for consumers.”
Dasani expands use of recycled materials, other packaging innovations
Image credit: Coca-Cola
Meanwhile, just weeks after Coca-Cola announced its
departure
from the Plastics Industry Association, its
Dasani® brand of bottled water is furthering
Coca-Cola’s global “World Without Waste” goals.
On Tuesday, Dasani announced a robust pipeline of sustainable packaging
innovations to make its bottles and cans with an average of 50 percent recycled
material by 2030. Updates to Dasani’s packaging line-up are designed to reduce
plastic waste and increase the use of recycled and renewable materials in the
US, while ensuring that all Dasani bottles continue to be fully recyclable. New
innovations include:
-
The debut of HybridBottle™, The Coca-Cola Company’s first package in the
US to be made with a mix of up to 50 percent plant-based renewable and
recycled PET material (PlantBottle TM and recycled PET plastic). The
HybridBottle adds recycled content alongside plant-based material to reduce
the amount of virgin PET plastic used in the bottle (available nationally in
mid-2020).
-
The expansion of package-less Dasani PureFill water dispensers with the
addition of up to 100 PureFill units across the country beginning in fall 2019.
The additional units are an evolution of the successful Coca-Cola
FreestyleΤΜ platform, garnering more
efficiencies and scale than the previous test version of PureFill by
leveraging the proprietary Coca-Cola Freestyle technology.
-
The introduction of 16-ounce aluminum cans (launching locally in the
Northeastern US this fall and expanding to other regions in 2020) and
16-ounce aluminum bottles (available in mid-2020).
-
Continued “light-weighting” across the Dasani package portfolio to
support overall efforts to reduce the amount of virgin PET plastic procured
by the Coca-Cola system.
-
The addition of How2Recycle labels
to all packages to help educate and encourage consumers to recycle after
use (rolling out on all Dasani packaging starting this fall).
“Today’s announcement is the largest sustainability initiative in the history of
the Dasani brand,” said Dasani Brand Director Lauren King. “It’s rooted in
providing sustainable options for our consumers, while doubling down on our
commitment to minimize our impact on the environment. Over the last decade we’ve
been on a journey to make Dasani more sustainable through new package design and
innovation, and we are now accelerating these efforts in support of our
company’s ambitious goals to significantly reduce packaging waste around the
world by 2030. While there is no single solution to the problem of plastic
waste, the additional package and package-less options we are rolling out today
mark an important next step in our effort to provide even more sustainable
solutions at scale.”
DASANI’s actions focus on testing and piloting multiple ways to deliver products
that fit consumers’ preferences and behaviors as they seek more sustainable
solutions in their everyday lives. Dasani currently plans to remove the
equivalent of 1 billion virgin PET bottles from its U.S. supply chain in the
next five years and will continue to look to expand these efforts.
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Sustainable Brands Staff
Published Aug 14, 2019 2pm EDT / 11am PDT / 7pm BST / 8pm CEST