Corona has found a novel way to counteract the scourge of the ecocidal plastic connector rings used to hold together packs of canned beverages.
In a campaign from Leo Burnett Mexico, the AB InBev brand is introducing a new model of beer can designed to screw into one another vertically to form a long, pole-like six-pack. The plastic-free packaging concept, dubbed the Fit Pack, made the shortlist of the Innovation category at the Cannes Lions international awards show this year.
The creative process behind the Fit Pack started with a simple instruction, according to a Q&A with Leo Burnett Mexico City chief creative officer Federico Russi on the agency website. Corona tasked the agency with creating a method of eliminating plastic packaging waste that was scalable and viable across different markets.
The packaging is currently in the testing phase, according to Russi.
“Our dream is for them to extend Fit Packs to every Corona can around the world and even other brands,” he said.
Because of their tendency to ensnare sea life, plastic six-pack rings have long served as a totem for the millions of tons of plastic waste increasingly smothering marine ecosystems. Although federal law has mandated that these rings be degradable since 1994, disintegration can still take up to three months and release other harmful by-products in the process.
In recent years, various beer companies have put forth alternatives to the plastic rings, ranging from edible and compostable material to recyclable glue. But Corona points out that most of these solutions rely on extra packaging costs, whereas its own is built into the can’s design.
“In the beverage industry, there have been many solutions for cutting back the use of plastic,” said AB InBev marketing vp Carlos Ranero in an English translation of a video accompanying the campaign. “However, none has been fully adopted because they require the use of other materials.”
The brand is hoping that the can design will eventually start a trend within the beer industry.
“We want this solution to be open-source to everyone so the entire industry has access to the blueprints,” said Clarissa Pantoja, Corona brand director at AB InBev, in the translated video.
