Diageo has announced that it is investing €18.5 million in an initiative to reduce the amount of plastics used in its beer packaging by removing the plastic ring carriers and shrink wrap from its multipacks of Guinness, Harp, Rockshore and Smithwick’s.
Diageo’s bottling and packaging plant in Northern Ireland will be the first site that will be up and running with the new packs, with the company investing €9.25 million in its facility in East Belfast.
The new packs will be on shelf on all beer brands in the island of Ireland from August 2019, and from the summer of 2020 in Great Britain and Diageo's remaining export markets.
"Working Tirelessly" To Be More Environmentally Friendly
Diageo’s chief sustainability officer and president, global supply & procurement, David Cutter, commented, "Great packaging is essential for our products. Consumers expect our packs to look beautiful, be functional, and sustainable. I am proud to announce this investment, through which we have been able to combine all three. We have been working tirelessly to make our packaging more environmentally friendly and I’m thrilled with this outcome for Guinness and our other global beer brands."
© 2019 Hospitality Ireland – your source for the latest industry news. Article by Dave Simpson. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.
