The Dutch brewing company, Heineken, has launched a 100 percent plastic-free cardboard topper with thousands of its retailers in the UK. The topper will feature on Heineken®, Foster’s and Kronenbourg 1664 multi-pack cans before being rolled out across its entire roster of beers.
The new topper – referred to Green Grip – will get rid of shrink wrapping, eliminating over 517 tons of annual plastic.
Heineken’s commitment to its innovation and sustainably during the ongoing pandemic is commendable and they are dedicated to eliminating this type of plastic from supermarket shelves by the end of 2021.
The roll out of the new packaging was set to take place at the same time that COVID-19 came into effect, restricting travel across Europe and they overcame the hurtle via virtual technology helping to install the new packaging machinery at its brewery in Manchester. The team in Manchester used smart glasses to collaborate with Italian engineers on the installation process and receive virtual training on how to operate the machinery safely, allowing fewer people on the shop floor to support social distancing guidelines.
“This is a game changer – for so long, the plastic pack rings on cans of beer and cider have been rightly scrutinized,” said Michael Gillane, marketing director of HEINEKEN UK. “We have been working on a solution for several years – one that is durable, totally recyclable, and completely plastic free. Importantly, this is an innovation that can be used at scale on hundreds of millions of cans every year.”
“After announcing our intention in November last year, we are extremely pleased to launch Green Grip – our plastic free, recyclable and compostable topper in UK supermarkets this summer, especially during such a challenging time, continues Gillane. “The easy decision would have been to postpone the launch, but that was never an option. The use of innovative technology, combined with the hard work of our team in Manchester, meant we stay on track to achieve our ambition to eliminate single-use plastic on our products from supermarket shelves. This is a significant milestone in our journey, and we look forward to rolling the innovation out across the rest of our beer and cider portfolio in 2021.”
Foster’s and Kronenbourg 1664 will launch in supermarkets with the new topper at the end of July, with Heineken® following shortly after in August ahead of the bank holiday weekend.