Guinness Ghana Breweries Plc, Ghana’s leading total beverage company, is phasing down its Orijin Bitters sachet product line as part of its aim to becoming sustainable by design in its operations.
This implies that consumers will no longer be able to buy Orijin Bitters sachets on the market after September 30, 2022. Guinness Ghana is taking proactive initiatives to combat plastic waste with this phase-out.
Helene Weesie, Managing Director of Guinness Ghana, announced the news, noting that plastic packaging is a fundamental component of the company’s business strategy and a crucial facilitator of affordability, sustainability, and safe handling.
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“However, to combat plastic waste and pollution, Guinness Ghana has already taken significant steps to manage and reduce our environmental impact. In 2021, we initiated a partnership with Coliba Ghana to set up ten (10) plastic collection centres in Accra and Kumasi to collect plastic bottles after consumer use. This is part of our commitment to become sustainable by design and work towards recycling of all the plastics which we produce” she added.
She pointed out that, while the sachet is selling well, it has a foil that is not recyclable and would not assist the company’s objective to ensuring that 100% of our plastics are intended to be widely recyclable by 2025. So, eliminating sachets from consumer packaging is a significant step toward making our packaging solutions more sustainable and supporting the general goal to minimize plastic pollution.
“This unilateral decision by our business is part of several shifts which are happening over the coming years, as we focus on packaging, which is recyclable, renewable, and widely recycled. We hope it will spur other producers to follow our example, for the benefit of the environment and responsible consumption”, she said.
Sylvia Owusu-Ankomah, Corporate Relations Director at Guinness Ghana, commented on this, stating that as a major beverage business in Ghana, Guinness Ghana was committed to ensuring that 100% of its packaging was widely recyclable, with 60% of it made from recycled material; however, “our Orijin bitters sachet is one key aspect of our packaging that does not support this ambition due to its composition. We have to phase it out in order to achieve this goal.”
“Sachet is also believed to provide an accessible format for underage individuals and by phasing it out, the business is taking steps towards its agenda to curb the incidence of underage drinking. Notwithstanding this development, consumers will still be able to enjoy their favorite Orijin bitters in our 75cl and 20cl formats, ” she noted.
SOURCE: CITINEWS
