Corona's New Stackable Cans Would Eliminate the Need for Plastic Six-Pack Rings

Who said recycling couldn’t be fun? Corona is currently rolling out new stackable cans that would do away with the need for plastic six-pack rings and allow consumers to use their empty cans sort of like LEGO bricks. The packaging is the brainchild of the beer company and Leo Burnett, the advertising masterminds behind icons such as the Jolly Green Giant and Charlie the Tuna.

"We designed a stackable system that screws up to 10 cans together, using only their own design, without the need for additional material," Federico Russi, CCO of Leo Burnett Mexico City, said.

The Takeout reports that the brand developed lockable teeth located at the top and bottom of each can, allowing for the cans to easily stack on top of each other in a system they've deemed Fit Packs. More importantly, the design eliminates the need for plastic six-pack rings, which have long posed a serious threat to the environment and marine life in particular.

This isn’t Corona’s first foray into environmentally-friendly packaging: The beermaker previously explored using biodegradable six-pack holders comprised of organic materials that would both decompose quickly and not pose a threat to curious animals that attempted to eat them.

Corona is not the only beermaker to consider abandoning plastic: In April, Diageo—the parent company of Guinness, Harp, and Smithwick's beer—announced that it would start phasing out plastic packaging this summer.

It’s been a long-documented fact that plastic packaging poses a major threat to the environment. Officials have spoken out about the negative environmental impact of domestic waste, citing how some areas of the ocean have " demonstrably contaminated with high concentrations of harmful pollutants including heavy metals, inorganic nutrients, and chlorinated petrochemicals," according to the U.N. Environmental Protection Agency. As a result, food and drink producers have made a push to do away with packaging materials that could pose a threat to the planet and the animals that inhabit it.

“In the beverage industry, there have been many solutions for cutting back the use of plastic,” Carlos Ranero, the global vice president of consumer connections at Anheuser-Busch InBev, said. “However, none have been fully adopted because they require the use of other materials. This solution has a very simple approach that can bring great financial benefits thanks to the complete removal of plastic materials.”

The Fit Packs are currently only available in Mexico, although Yahoo! Lifestyle reports that the design will be rolled out worldwide if they prove successful.