Rio Tinto and Corona Canada pilot GHG-reduced beer cans with digital traceability

30 Jun 2022 --- Rio Tinto and Corona Canada are introducing a beverage can using the mining company’s aluminum produced from Elysis technology. QR codes printed on 1.2 million limited-edition cans encourage customers to learn more about the packaging’s reduced carbon footprint. The cans are manufactured by Ball. 

In North America, recycled aluminum reportedly accounts for about 70% of the metal used in can production. Carbon emissions are decreased by more than 30% when this recycled metal is combined with Rio Tinto’s low-carbon aluminum, which is generated using renewable hydropower, and metal produced using the direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions-free Elysis smelting technology.

The Elysis process emits pure oxygen as a byproduct and eliminates all of the GHG emissions associated with traditional smelting. This technology involves replacing the carbon anodes used in traditional aluminum smelting with inert, proprietary materials.

“Corona believes it has a responsibility to be an ally to our environment, recognizing that change needs to start within our own production lines as a tangible way we can help protect paradise and reach our ambitious sustainability goals,” says Corona Canada’s marketing vice president Andrew Oosterhuis.

QR codes printed on 1.2 million limited-edition cans encourage customers to learn more about the packaging’s reduced carbon footprint.Traceability and transparency
Nearly 40% of Canadians believe that product traceability and transparency are the most important aspects of packaging, according to Innova Market Insights. Tolga Egrilmezer, Rio Tinto’s head of sales and marketing, explains that the company aims to promote traceability and transparency through the can’s new design. 

Egrilmezer says that Rio Tonto wants to “put more information into the hands of consumers, so they can see how we are partnering with brands like Corona to help deliver more [environmentally] sustainable supply chains and products.”

“These specially-marked, low-carbon beverage cans will showcase the responsibly produced aluminum Rio Tinto delivers, bringing together renewable hydropower and the innovation of zero-carbon Elysis smelting technology.”

Interactive packaging
Innova Market Insights found that nearly 35% of Canadian consumers wish to see product traceability information on interactive packaging, like QR codes. According to Rio Tinto, insights from its Start initiative will be leveraged in the future to allow consumers to use QR codes to see exactly how their products were made, including key environmental, social, and governance criteria.

The Start initiative aims to inform consumers on all the processes aluminum follows from mine to market – including sustainability data. Start believes that information about transparency and traceability across the aluminum value chain is missing in the aluminum industry. Using blockchain technology, Start Responsible Aluminum aims to change this.

Digital labeling for alcohol
In related news, Pernod Ricard has launched an interactive digital label system to inform consumers about product ingredients, associated health risks, as well as local drinking guidelines.

The company aims to cater to consumers’ needs for a more transparent product and will launch a European pilot in July 2022, before a total conversion to the system is implemented on all brands globally by 2024.

PackagingInsights covered this topic in more detail in a recent article.

By Mieke Meintjes