Tennents invests in removing plastic packaging from lager cans
The investment, first announced in October 2019 as part of a series of “Because Life is Bigger than Beer” initiatives, will remove single use plastic from its consumer packaging for the first time in more than 40 years.
Tennents has announced a £7m investment in packaging equipment at Wellpark Brewery which will aim on eradicating 150 tonnes of plastic from the group’s Lager can packs by 2022, which includes more than 100 million plastic (hi- and mid-cone) rings.
The investment, first announced in October 2019 as part of a series of “Because Life is Bigger than Beer” initiatives, will remove single use plastic from its consumer packaging for the first time in more than 40 years.
Work at the Wellpark Brewery in Glasgow has commenced and is expected to be completed in spring 2021, when the brewer will be able to produce up to 120,000 cans per hour, packaged in fully recyclable cardboard.
Martin Doogan, group engineering manager at C&C Group plc, Tennent’s parent company, said: “Sustainability is at the core of our business and we will always look for ways to innovate and minimise our impact on the environment to play our part in tackling the climate crisis.
“The announcement is the latest step as we work towards our 2022 goal of eliminating single use plastic from our consumer packaging and our ongoing commitment to environmental best practice in everything we do.”
He added: “As part of our commitments around plastics, we continue to be the only brewer who is a member of the UK Plastics Pact, which guides our initiatives and sets stringent additional targets on plastic packaging, waste and recyclates.
“Together with our new carbon recapture facility and the anaerobic digestion plant, we are well on our way to achieving our pledge to make Wellpark net carbon zero.”
Roseanna Cunningham, Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for environment, climate change and land reform, said: “Plastic waste, much of it single use, is not only wasteful but generates litter that is hugely damaging for our oceans, rivers and ecosystems.
“By acting now to reduce our reliance on single-use plastic and moving towards more sustainable, environmentally friendly alternatives, we can turn the tide. This, of course, is not only the responsibility of government and individuals but manufacturers and businesses too.
