Feeding Fish Instead of Strangling Them: Corona Adopts Edible 6-Pack Rings
Elizabeth Morey
This amazing trend didn't start with Corona, but the beer-brewing giant may pave the way for other large beverage companies to start using a revolutionary new type of 6-pack ring that could save millions of sea creatures.
A Florida craft microbrewery called Saltwater Brewery first developed the edible and biodegradable 6-pack rings using barley and wheat remnants left over from the brewing process. This cuts down on the cost for the brewery, makes use of a waste product, and also keeps wildlife from getting caught in the discarded rings. Plus, it functions as food for fish, turtles, birds, and other marine life!
Photo: YouTube/We BelieversIn a promo video for Saltwater Brewery, marine biologist Mark Tokulka said that "an estimated one million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals and sea turtles become entrapped in plastic or ingest it and die." People think that cutting the rings to keep wildlife from getting trapped in them is enough, but the plastic is inedible and filled with chemicals, causing major harm to sea creatures that don't know any better than to eat it.
Photo: YouTube/We BelieversThe people of Saltwater Brewery class themselves as surfers, fishermen, and "people who love the sea," so it makes sense that they would want to preserve the ocean life they're so fond of. But over the last couple of years, their work has become a trend and really taken off in microbreweries around the world, including places like Australia, South Africa, Poland, Scotland, Connecticut, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Washington State.
Photo: YouTube/We BelieversCorona, however, is the first major brewery to begin using the strategy, really getting the idea some publicity. For now, the biodegradable rings are only being used in Tulum, Mexico, where Corona is headquartered, but if things go well, they'll soon be available in the rest of the world.
Now all that's left is to show Corona our support and wait for other breweries and soda companies to take the hint and start doing more to help the environment instead of harming it!
Would you buy Corona beers with biodegradable 6-pack rings? Check out the video below to learn more about this incredible invention!
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