As part of its vision to be a sustainability leader in consumer-packaged goods, Corona has become the first global beverage brand to achieve a net zero plastic footprint.
The milestone comes after an extensive external assessment of Corona’s global operations against the 3RI Corporate Plastic Stewardship Guidelines by leading climate solutions provider South Pole. The assessment measured Corona’s remaining plastic usage throughout the brand’s products and distribution logistics processes.
It also followed the Verra Plastic Waste Reduction Standard to calculate the impact of Corona’s mitigation activities, including a major investment in Mexican recycling facility, Mexico Recicla.
“As a brand born at the beach and deeply connected with nature, Corona has a responsibility to do all it can to be an ally to our environment and our oceans,” says Felipe Ambra, global vice-president of marketing for Corona.
“But we can’t do it alone. That’s why Corona created Plastic Reality, an augmented reality experience that allows people to see their annual plastic footprint in their own home.
“Seeing your full years’ worth of plastic in your living room is truly eye-opening, and hopefully will inspire people to reduce their personal plastic use and their impact on the environment.”
Plastic Reality users get an estimate of their annual plastic footprint after answering some basic questions about their consumption habits. That footprint is then visualised through colourful AR pieces of plastic that splash across the user’s physical world like seawater washing ashore.
From there, Plastic Reality opens a virtual portal to a polluted beach paradise that shows how plastic affects nature, while promoting users to take action to reduce their plastic footprint.
“Corona is setting a high bar for the industry. The ongoing product redesign efforts will progressively eliminate the plastic they don’t need, and their investment in Mexico Recicla goes well beyond what is required to address their current plastic footprint,” explains Irene Hofmeijer, senior managing consultant for plastics at South Pole.
“We congratulate Corona for reducing plastic usage, and strengthening collection and recycling infrastructure in Mexico, without which the vision of a circular economy would not be possible.”
Corona’s net zero plastic achievement is another step in the brand’s long-term journey to eliminate its plastic footprint entirely.
The Corona Plastic-Free Challenge looks for entrepreneurs from across the globe to help Corona find new ideas or technologies that can reduce or eliminate more plastic from the supply chain.
Additionally, Corona is investing in the redesign of key products, such as 100 per cent of Corona’s export volume for cans being free of plastic rings by the end of the year.
“We welcome this first important step by Corona towards the complete removal of plastic from their supply chain,” says Richard Hill, CEO of Ocean Generation.
“This net zero plastic footprint accreditation demonstrates Corona’s recognition of the plastic footprint their products leave on the planet and the series of practical steps they are starting to take in mitigation.
“We look forward to working with Corona to achieve their ultimate aim of leaving no plastic in nature.”
All these efforts build on Corona’s longstanding commitment to help protect the world’s oceans and beaches from plastic pollution.
So far, Corona has conducted over 1400 clean-ups, engaging over 68,000 volunteers, and collecting plastic waste from more than 44 million square metres of beach area.
