AB-InBev has launched a new can design for Corona Extra beer which enables multiple cans to be screwed together. It means there is no need for external plastic packaging.
The brewery giant worked with advertising agency Leo Burnett in a bid to reduce its plastic waste. The beverage industry generates 17 million tons of plastic worldwide every year in packaging alone, so a solution that would substitute plastic packaging was top of mind.
Leo Burnett Mexico City CCO Federico Russi says the Fit Pack was born when the agency considered a feasible, scalable solution which only involved the can.
Russi says, “We designed a stackable system that screws up to 10 cans together, using only their own design, without the need for any additional material. The assembly system connects at the bottom and top of each can, so several of them can be screwed into each other and create stacks.
“It’s an innovation that can be scaled on a global level, solving the plastic problem.”
By allowing customers can take the exact number of cans they need and screw them together, the need for external packaging is removed. AB-InBev marketing vice president Carlos Ranero says other solutions were not taken up by the industry because they required other materials.
“This solution has a very simple approach that can bring great financial benefits thanks to the complete removal of plastic materials in packaging,” Ranero says.
Corona brand director Clarissa Pantoja says the design is open-source, so the whole industry can access and use the design. It has also been short listed for the Cannes Innovation Lions. “If we all join efforts, the planet will see benefits soon,” she says.
AB-InBev and Leo Burnett aim to extend the design to other markets and brands, should the pilot prove successful.
