Rio Tinto has recently partnered with Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev), a Belgian-American-based brewing and drink company, to create indefinitely recyclable beer cans produced from low-carbon aluminum.
A statement from Rio Tinto said that the companies have “signed an MOU committing to work with supply chain partners to bring AB InBev products to market in cans made from low-carbon aluminum that meets industry-leading sustainability standards.”
AB InBev is known in North America for brands such as Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob ULTRA, Stella Artois, and Labatt. The statement adds that, currently, about 70 per cent of the aluminum used in AB InBev cans produced in North America is recycled content.
“We are constantly looking for new ways to reduce our carbon footprint across our entire value chain and improve the sustainability of our packaging to reach our ambitious sustainability goals,” Ingrid De Ryck, Vice President of Procurement and Sustainability, North America at AB InBev, said in the statement. “With this partnership, we will bring low-carbon aluminum to the forefront with our consumers and create a model for how companies can work with their suppliers to drive innovative and meaningful change for our environment.”
With this partnership, Rio Tinto said it will offer a carbon emission reduction of potentially more than 30 per cent, per can as compared to cans produced using traditional manufacturing methods in North America.
Rio Tinto said the first one million cans of the partnership will be produced in the U.S. on the beer brand Michelob ULTRA.
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clare.rayment@northernsentinel.com
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