Anheuser-Busch and Conscious Container Announce Pilot Program in Northern California

From Anheuser-Busch:

Nov. 19, 2020 (SONOMA COUNTY, CA ) – In partnership with Anheuser-Busch, refillable glass bottle marketplace start-up Conscious Container announces the November 23 launch of “Refill My Beer” (https://www.refill-my-beer.com).  In collaboration with Santa Rosa California based Eagle Distributing, the ambitious 3-month pilot plans to distribute and collect 16,000 specially labeled bottles of Michelob ULTRA Pure Gold and Elysian Space Dust IPA.  The bottles will then be collected, washed, inspected, and those that meet the quality standards will be refilled with product and recirculated an additional time*. Retailers selling beer in the refillable bottle pilot include major grocery stores, along with Willibee’s Wine & Spirits in Santa Rosa and Petaluma, and several other independent retailers along the Highway 101 corridor.

"The Conscious Container journey has been about everybody saying ‘yes’ to working together towards a refillable glass container model,” says Caren McNamara, Founder and CEO of Conscious Container. “This model aims to significantly reduce the single use container waste crisis across our communities and oceans in a way that is economically viable for everyone from individual consumers to large corporations. We’ve proven our  business model with craft brewers and couldn’t be more pleased to have Anheuser-Busch on the team to bring us to the next level. Here we go!"

Consumers who purchase participating brands simply return the empty bottles to Conscious Container bins located in one of seven participating locations in Sonoma County and northern Marin County listed on bottle neck tags and on the Refill My Beer website. Consumers will then be asked to fill out a quick and easy survey to gain feedback on refillable packaging and brands. As an additional incentive, survey respondents may opt-in to a weekly drawing for $500^.

To provide transparency and engagement, Conscious Container has partnered with Globelet, an app that allows users to earn rewards in exchange for tracking and sharing how much trash they are preventing from entering landfill and oceans. Consumers may launch the Globelet app by scanning a QR code located on the neck tags and Conscious Container return bins.

Three out of four glass bottles purchased in the US end up in landfill or are otherwise not recycled or reused. In 2018, 7.6 million tons of glass containers were landfilled, accounting for 5.2% of all municipal waste streams**. 

“At Anheuser-Busch, we are always looking for new ways to reduce our carbon footprint across our value chain to reach our ambitious 2025 sustainability goals,” said Angie Slaughter, VP of Sustainability at Anheuser-Busch. “We are thrilled to be launching this pilot in partnership with Conscious Container to grow the returnable glass marketplace and enable our consumers and our industry to drive meaningful change for our environment.”

Conscious Container partners with the wine, beer, and non-alcohol beverage industries to collectively reduce the environmental impact of a single-use glass bottle while lowering the overall cost of that glass bottle through refilling and reuse. They have proven their glass bottle collection pilots across Northern California and Northern Nevada working with small craft breweries. The partnership with Anheuser-Busch through its A100+ accelerator program is Conscious Container’s first project with a major company. Conscious Container’s mission dovetails with Anheuser-Busch’s commitment to ensuring that 100% of their packaging will be made from majority recycled content or will be returnable by 2025.

*Bottles will be recirculated to retailers in participating states.

^Sweepstakes rules can be found at https://www.refill-my-beer.com

**Source: https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/glass-material-specific-data

About Conscious Container

Founded by social entrepreneur Caren McNamara in 2017, Conscious Container aims to eliminate single use glass containers by bringing a refillable glass bottle marketplace back into the US economy and infrastructure. The company collaborates with packaging producers, manufacturers, policymakers, municipalities, waste haulers, non-profits, and consumers to create a circular system that is mutually beneficial and economically viable. Conscious Container is a Benefit Corporation, a legal designation requiring company leaders to give equal weight to social benefits and profits. It is headquartered in Northern California. For more information, visit www.consciouscontainer.com or follow Conscious Container on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

About Anheuser-Busch

For more than 165 years, Anheuser-Busch has carried on a legacy of brewing great-tasting, high-quality beers that have satisfied beer drinkers for generations. Today, we own and operate more than 100 facilities, including breweries, wholesaler distribution centers, agricultural facilities and packaging plants, and have more than 18,000 colleagues across the United States. We are home to several of America’s most recognizable beer brands, including Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob ULTRA and Stella Artois, as well as a number of regional brands that provide beer drinkers with a choice of the best-tasting craft beers in the industry. From responsible drinking programs and emergency drinking water donations to industry-leading sustainability efforts, we are guided by our unwavering commitment to supporting the communities we call home. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com or follow Anheuser-Busch on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.