Edible six-pack rings let you have your beer and help the environment, too

Activists have long advocated for snipping the plastic six-pack rings that bind together cans and put wildlife at risk. Now, a Florida brewery is shunning plastic rings entirely, replacing them with a biodegradable version made from natural brewing byproducts. To top it off, the alternative product is edible.

The project is the brainchild of the ad agency We Believers, which enlisted a team of engineers to create the rings and approached South Florida-based Saltwater Brewery about a partnership a couple of months ago. The conservation-conscious brewery, which is located in Delray Beach and works with charitable organizations including the Surfrider Foundation and Coastal Conservation Association, immediately jumped at the opportunity to combine its two passions, brewery President Chris Gove told Mashable. 

“We believed in it so much,” Gove said. “It came about through a love for the ocean and truly caring for the environment.”

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Created with a 3D-printed mold, the rings are made from wheat and barley leftover from the brewing process. Unlike plastic rings, which can entangle or suffocate sea life, the biodegradable rings won’t harm animals if they’re eaten, and won’t harm the environment if they’re not. 

“The best way I can describe it is having your child eat a Sour Patch Kid rather than a Lego,” Gove said. “It’s not a part of their diet, but it is something that is better than alternative, so that’s something to keep in mind.” 

In creating the biodegradable product, the team has had to ensure the rings are able to withstand humidity and the weight of the beer cans.

Image: Saltwater brewery

Eventually the team will replace its plastic molds with state-of-the-art steel or aluminum in order to mass produce the product and will experiment with incorporating other natural fibers and byproducts of different beers, such as stouts and IPAs to continue improving the rings. 

Though the product is still in the prototype phase, Gove said he believes the rings are already near-perfect and will be beneficial to both consumers and the environment. 

“We’ve gotten great feedback from marine biologists,” Gove said. “It can only get better in terms of finding an alternate solution. It’s not supposed to be a part of their daily diet, but it’s not going to kill them like a plastic item would.”

With 500 units produced last month, Saltwater Brewery and We Believers said they’re planning to bring the biodegradable rings to the mass market by the end of the summer or early fall and by 2017, the team hopes to expand production to other craft breweries around the U.S. 

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“We want this to be the zero waste, zero carbon footprint solution for the industry,” We Believers co-founder Marco Vega said. “Instead of taking two years or getting through the loops of corporate America, let’s get them out and take it to the next stage, little by little.”

The edible rings are patent pending, and Gove said though he hopes the larger beer companies take Saltwater Brewery’s lead, the team is primarily looking to expand the invention to craft breweries.

“We’re doing everything we can to ensure we stand behind the small guy,” Gove said. “That’s how America’s growing, not by giving the top guys the best product all the time. That’s kind of our organic roots growth and has always been our focus.”

Any adverse affects the edible rings may have on animals or ecosystems likely wouldn't become evident until the product is more widely in use, said Ryan Kallabis of the marine conservation nonprofit Save Our Shores. 

"That is a concern that we have thought about; would it be healthy for them to digest; would they be able to digest it; would you see malnutrition issues; would it affect some sort of bacteria levels within the water," Kallabis said. "But that would have to be seen through studies."

Save Our Shores own research has found that plastic six-pack rings present four major problems for sea life — ingestion, suffocation, entanglement, and toxin exposure — and Kallabis said any product that aims to eliminate these dangers is a step in the right direction. 

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"I would say that this is a very, very smart solution to a behavior problem," Kallabis said. "Instead of trying to change behavior through education, we can change it through ways products are designed."

Vega said he realizes the rings won’t solve the issue of plastic ending up in the environment entirely, but that they're a good start.

“We would not need edible six-pack rings if we recycled 100% of the plastic that’s out there," Vega said. "But the reality is we don’t. We’re far from that."