Corpse to compost, Jose Cuervo’s agave to straws, Ford’s coffee waste parts, Reebok biokicks, cellulose optical fibers, catalysts algorithms, and more: The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the week of December 12th

#6 Beverage giant moving to paper alternative to six-pack rings

In Europe, Coca-Cola and AB InBev will swap plastic packaging rings for KeelClip, a paper replacement system. Designed by Graphic Packaging International, such renewable alternatives to conventional plastic rings are gaining traction amid concerns over non-biodegradable waste in the environment.

“I think they’re certainly recognizing that both on the legislative front and the social front that it’s the right thing to do,” Bret Arnone, vice president of beverage commercial operations at Graphic Packaging International, tells Fast Company.

While currently more expensive, KeelClip cost will go down with economies of scale. In the interim, the design allows companies to add marketing collateral on top of the packaging—a key selling point—and allows for seamless integration into existing production schemes. “When you get into large beverage companies, they’re going to need to be able to keep up with their filling lines,” Arnone adds. “If they don’t have a solution that will allow cans to be packed at thousands of cans per minute, then it really does not become a good solution.”
More on the story, here.