International beer maker Carlsberg has announced plans to dramatically reduce plastic waste—all while getting you your beer.
The company unveiled a new technology it’s calling Snap Pack that will change how it will sell beer cans. Instead of using traditional plastic wrapping around six-packs, Carlsberg’s Snap Packs will instead glue one can to another. When you want to have a beer, you can simply snap one of the cans off and crack it open.
According to Carlsberg, the Snap Pack technology will reduce the amount of plastic it would typically use in a six pack by up to 76%. Overall, it anticipates reducing plastic waste by 1,200 tons per year—about the same amount of plastic you’d find in 60 million plastic bags.
Carlsberg has been investing heavily in environmentally friendly initiatives of late. In addition to its Snap Packs, the company has switched to “Cradle-to-Cradle Certified” silver in its bottle labels to improve their recyclability. It also uses a new coating on the glass bottles to extend their lifespan. They’re all part of Carlsberg’s Together Towards ZERO environmental initiative.
Of course, Carlsberg isn’t alone. A number of companies have recently announced plans to improve their environmental footprint and launch new initiatives. Starbucks and McDonald’s (in the U.K.), for instance, both plan to eliminate plastic straws in the coming years.