TORONTO, June 4, 2019 /CNW/ – It’s estimated that 8 million metric tonnes of plastic pollution gets into the world’s oceans each year. Canada has the longest ocean coastline in the world and is home to thousands of lakes and rivers, with 20% of the world’s freshwater supply. This is why, during World Oceans Week, Corona Canada is announcing that it will dedicate its entire summer to protect paradise from marine plastic pollution. As part of the global Corona x Parley initiative, Canada will be joining a total eight other countries, including Mexico, Brazil, United Kingdom, Italy and Spain.
“The pristine beaches long associated with Corona are at risk. Marine plastic pollution is a well-documented urgent threat to our shoreline paradise, which is why we decided to dedicate our busiest season with a pledge to address this crisis,” said Todd Allen, vice president, marketing, Labatt Breweries of Canada. “We recognize the influence a global brand like Corona can have on the industry and hope to see others do the same as we work towards a new standard that avoids plastic entirely.”
As part of Corona’s global partnership with Parley for the Oceans, an organization dedicated to addressing threats toward the world’s oceans, Corona is seeking to enable Canadians throughout the summer through a variety of ways to be part of a global movement. This began with co-hosting a Walrus Talks expert panel discussion in Toronto, with the goal of making Canadians aware of the urgency of the crisis and explaining how they have the power to make a difference.
New Limited-Edition Packaging and National Clean Up Network
This summer, for every specially marked Corona case sold in Canada, and for every bucket of Corona sold in participating bars and restaurants, one square metre of Canadian shoreline will be cleaned, with the goal of cleaning 850,000 square meters this summer.
Corona and Parley for the Oceans have partnered to clean up Canada’s shorelines, encouraging Canadians to get involved in the 50 beach clean-ups happening from coast to coast throughout the summer, including five elevated beach clean-up experiences in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary and Halifax. At these experiences, Corona will be turning plastic waste into payment at the ‘Pay with Plastic’ Beach Bar. Beach clean-up volunteers will be instantly rewarded for protecting paradise as they hand-in a piece of plastic or debris collected. Corona and Parley for the Oceans are not only ensuring the plastic received is upcycled and given a second life, but also taking the opportunity to incentivize participants to avoid plastic altogether with educational messaging on-site.
Consumers will be able to join the clean-ups at CoronaxParley.com.
Eliminating Corona’s Own Single-Use Plastic
Starting in October 2019, Corona is replacing all plastic packaging on its cans on Canadian store shelves with new compostable cardboard packaging. This will reduce a substantial amount of single-use plastic, as Canada is the second largest consumption market of Corona beer cans (Mexico is the first.) In 2018, Corona tested 100% plastic-free six pack rings in Mexico, the first global beer brand to do so.
In addition, Corona will take other steps to reduce or remove single-use plastic, such as the plastic generally used in media billboards and retail displays, as well as in-case offerings of non-plastic alternatives including new weekender bags, reusable shopping bags and glass water bottles.
“Together with Corona we declared war on the plastic bottle. We chased them on hundreds of beaches, engaging thousands of volunteers,” said Cyrill Gutsch, Founder and CEO Parley for the Oceans. “By dedicating its summer campaign to the cause, we are now hitting the epicenter of this epic battle: the consumer mindset. Now, everybody can join the resistance, funding Parley with each purchase. For the Oceans.”
Corona and Parley are on a long-term journey to help ensure the health of the world’s oceans and beaches. Since the partnership launched in 2017, Corona and Parley have conducted more than 537 clean-ups in over 23 countries, including the Maldives, Palau, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Chile, Indonesia, Italy, South Africa and Australia, with the help of more than 25,000 volunteers.
Learn more about Corona’s mission to address the marine plastic pollution crisis and sign-up for a local beach clean-up at CoronaxParley.com.
