Grupo Modelo plans to invest $4m in sustainable packaging solution

Grupo Modelo, the brewer of Corona beer, has partnered with WestRock and Grupo Gondi to invest in a sustainable, fibre-based packaging solution.

The partnership will see Grupo Modelo invest around $4 million in WestRock CanCollar Eco packaging in Quintana Roo, Mexico. 

The investment aims to help the beer company advance its sustainability goals by eliminating its use of plastic rings in Mexico. 

Soqui Calderon, regional director of sustainability for Grupo Modelo, said: “At Grupo Modelo, we are continuing to evaluate various alternatives for plastic rings in the packaging of beer cans. This is how we discovered CanCollar Eco, a new solution developed by WestRock and produced in Mexico by Grupo Gondi. Made from recyclable paperboard, this innovative packaging uses the least amount of material required to hold and to keep our beer cans secure through the supply chain.”

Unlike a cardboard box that completely covers the product, CanCollar Eco packaging uses only a paperboard clip to hold the upper part of the cans. The technology will replace hard-to-recycle plastic packaging and is expected to result in more than 100 fewer tons of plastic waste each year.