HEINEKEN UK – 2023

Following the launch of the Green Grip in August 2020, in 2022 HEINEKEN launched the latest version into market with improved strength and stability without compromising on its sustainability credentials.

As part of a wider £14m investment, and following months of research and development, in August 2022, HEINEKEN launched the latest edition of its sustainable packaging solution, the Green Grip, a cardboard holder for multipacks of cans.

Following the Green Grip’s introduction to the market and the start of HEINEKEN’s journey to eradicate plastic rings, a dedicated HEINEKEN team began researching how the Green Grip could be improved. After several trials, both in laboratories and in stores, the team found the double-layered Green Grip to be the best performing solution. By double layering the cardboard, HEINEKEN UK has been able to create a more durable solution whilst keep material use to a minimum and ensuring the Green Grip remains recyclable.

The £14m funding was made available to invest in HEINEKEN UK’s Manchester, Hereford and Tadcaster sites to equip production lines with Green Grip technology. The installation of the Green Grip at the final site, Tadcaster, completed in October 2022 with the Green Grip packaging now rolled-out across all HEINEKEN brands.

The Green Grip offers consumers the same ease-of use as traditional plastic can rings, but without the need for single-use plastic. Since the launch of the Green Grip into the market, HEINEKEN UK has removed 336 tonnes of single-use plastic from its supply chain, including the supply chain of its customers.

On top of this, since the end of 2021, the company has removed all consumer-facing secondary plastic packaging from its UK production sites. The move was part of HEINEKEN UK’s sustainability programme Brew a Better World and its commitment to finding innovative solutions to design out waste and introduce packaging that has less impact on the environment.