Corona Rolls Out Sustainable Packs Made From Barley Straw

Corona, the AB InBev-owned beer, has rolled out new sustainable packs made from Barley straw fibers in Colombia as part of a pilot that could see the innovative packaging introduced globally. The packaging, which will also be introduced to Argentina later this year as part of the trial, is made using a blend of barley—a key ingredient of the beer—and recycled cardboard. It requires less energy and 90% less water to manufacture than virgin cardboard, Corona said, resulting in a "strong and durable" design that uses "fewer resources." Corona said the design was an industry first and had been developed over three years by AB InBev's Global Innovation and Technology Center. If successful, it could be introduced to other markets and to other brands. Barley straw is a currently unused byproduct of the brewing process. Circular design Currently, the barley straw—a byproduct of the barley seed used in the brewing process— is not sourced from farmers who produce ingredients for Corona. But if the pilot proves a success, the aim is to purchase it from the company's suppliers, creating a "circular" design, Keenan Thompson, director of packaging innovation at AB InBev, told Adweek. "My role is to make sure I know exactly what [the brand] needs, what the consumer needs, and the world needs—and where the existing technology isn't good enough. Then I put the pieces together to [create] a solution like this one," he said. One thing marketers sometimes overlook is that packaging is their biggest communications tool.—Felipe Ambra, global VP, Corona Corona sells in cans as well as bottles in some markets and has been experimenting with alternative designs in recent years. Last year it trialed stackable cans to negate the need for ring pulls, though that project was discontinued. And in 2019, the brand introduced plastic-free ring pulls for six-pack cans in an experiment that ultimately wasn't scaled up. And it's not the only brand to do so. To much fanfare, Carlsberg swapped out ring pulls and glued its beers together as a plastic-free "snap pack." Referring to Corona's earlier pilots, Thompson said: "That type of a solution wasn't at the point where it was the right solution to scale. We learned enough about it, what the pros and the cons were, and this is one of those where everything is falling into the right place." Corona will now need to assess the practicalities of its latest design and whether it proves a hit with consumers, and is workable from a supplier point of view. A marketing campaign, currently under wraps, will roll out over the coming weeks. For now, the packaging has been made to look distinctive and deliberately less polished, left in its "natural state" to draw attention to its sustainable credentials. Felipe Ambra, global vp of Corona, said: "One thing marketers sometimes overlook is that [packaging] is [their] biggest communications tool. The packaging reaches consumers at every single moment you are available on a supermarket shelf." "So that's why we want our packaging to do the heavy lifting." Packaging power The barley packaging is just the latest step in the brand's sustainability drive, Ambra said. The brand, he said, is connected to the beach and to outdoor living and therefore nature—and so it makes sense to invest in ways to reduce its environmental impact. The brand wants to be a sustainability leader in the CPG industry, he added, which he said was an "authentic" position for the brand to take. Consumers also want to see more action companies, and expect brands to be acting in more environmentally responsible ways. "If you do something that is not true to your brand or your purpose, consumers get it—they realize when [a brand] tries to greenwash and is not truly authentic. Corona has being doing initiatives around protection of the environment for decades."

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Corona Is Rolling Out Sustainable Packaging Made From Barley Straw, Using 90% Less Water

Innovation will be piloted in Colombia and Argentina ahead of a possible global launch

Sara Spary

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