Beer company Carlsberg has come up with a sticky solution to using plastic six-pack rings and wrapping
BEER brewer Carlsberg has created what it believes is a world-first - a six-pack held together by glue.
The design is set to reduce the company's use of plastic packaging by more than 75 per cent.
The Danish brewer said it's spent three years developing the technology to replace plastic rings and wrapping.
After testing more than 4,000 different glues, the company said it's found one strong enough to withstand the journey from shelf to home but that is also easy to break when twisted.
The UK, which consumes 30 per cent of Carlsberg's annual beer supplies, is the first country to try out the new packs.
"Snap Packs" are expected to reduce the company's plastic use by 1,200 tonnes a year or the equivalent of 60 million plastic bags.
Inventor Christopher Stuhlmann, who works for one of Carlsberg's design partners, said a trip to his local hardware shop helped convince him that the idea could work.
"The starting point was going to a hardware shop and buying all the adhesive I could get, all the glue that was there.
"Over the weekend I just glued things together and made a short video for my chief executive and so the idea was born," Mr Stuhlmann said.
Environmental charity WWF welcomed the announcement saying that traditional multi-pack plastic rings pose serious problems for animals and birds, who can be trapped in them.
The glue technology was just one of several innovations announced by the brewer in its headquarters in Copenhagen - including recyclable ink, a special coating to extend the life of refillable glass bottles and a new cap that absorbs oxygen to help beer stay fresh for longer.
A war on excess packing is underway in a bid to clean up our oceans.
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Up to 12 million tonnes of plastic ends up in the sea each year, which is the equivalent of a full rubbish truck every minute.
But there's been bad news today for the nation's pub lovers - the average price of a pint has risen 2.5 per cent since last year.
The best pubs in England and Wales were recently unveiled - check to see if your local is on the list.
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