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Coca-Cola’s New Sustainable Packaging Replaces Plastic Rings With Paperboard

by Chloe Gordon on 08/23/2022 | 2 Minute Read

We've seen beer brands make sustainable packaging changes by removing plastic rings on six-packs and replacing them with paper can toppers. While the beer market makes up a hefty portion of the beverage industry, there's also the pernicious realm of soft drinks and their reliance on single-use plastic. 

Coca-Cola just announced a new paperboard packaging system that replaces plastic rings on multipacks. Coca-Cola's bottler, Liberty, partnered with Graphic Packing International to use KeelClip, the same format that BudLight began using. Because the Liberty headquarters operate out of Philadelphia, the first paperboard packaging will get rolled out in the Pennsylvania market. The European market, however, has already seen the impact of KeelClips as Coca-Cola released it in 2019. 

Editorial photograph

Coca-Cola just announced a new paperboard packaging system that replaces plastic rings on multipacks.

“Liberty is thrilled to be the first bottler in the United States to implement this innovative packaging system,” said Paul Mulligan, co-owner of Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages, in a press release. “We know that the most valuable change to reduce plastic waste occurs when bottlers and packaging producers work together in partnership. We look forward to partnering with Graphic Packaging on sharing this sustainable packaging in our local communities for years to come.”

While it's a step in the right direction, the massive beverage corporation still has a long way to go in making its packaging more sustainable, especially if it can make a dent in the number of single-use plastic bottles they continue to sell.