Rio Tinto and Corona Canada have launched a pilot in Ontario of specially marked, low-carbon beverage cans – the first in the country. The cans were made using aluminum from Rio Tinto and leveraging emissions-free ELYSIS smelting technology.
The pilot is a step toward putting a fully traceable beverage can in the hands of consumers. As part of the limited release, 1.2 million Corona cans were manufactured by Ball Corporation with a QR code for consumers to learn more about the cans’ carbon footprint.
In the future, Rio Tinto said it will leverage insights from its START initiative to allow consumers to use QR codes to see exactly how their products were made from mine to market – including sustainability data.
“Leveraging insights from START, we look forward to putting more information into the hands of consumers, so they can see how we are partnering with leading brands like Corona to help deliver more sustainable supply chains and products,” said Rio Tinto’s Head of Sales and Marketing Tolga Egrilmezer.
“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.”
The launch builds on a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2020 between Rio Tinto and Corona Canada’s parent company Anheuser-Busch InBev to bring products to market in cans made with sustainably produced aluminum.
Source: Rio Tinto