Ska Brewing is first North American brewery to implement CanCollar® Corsair™ for plastics replacement in its packaging
Ska Brewing has never been keen on plastic packaging, but recently identified an alternative that supports its sustainability goals.
DURANGO, CO— Ska Brewing has completed the installation of a CanCollar® Corsair™ provided by WestRock. Ska is the first craft brewery in North America to implement this automation solution, which will enable the company’s transition from plastic rings to a fiber-based solution for its multipack product wraps.
Ska has never been keen on plastic packaging, but recently identified an alternative that supports its sustainability goals.
Enter WestRock, a global paper and packaging leader dedicated to sustainability whose portfolio includes solutions for craft and artisanal beverage producers. The company’s CanCollar® Corsair™ machine automatically applies various CanCollar® paperboard-based multipack formats to 24-pack trays of product, which gives Ska the ability to package all of its canned brand offerings — including four-packs and six-packs — using a solution that reduces plastics consumption by up to 95 percent when compared to alternative plastic multipack options.
“The CanCollar, which promotes circularity, will immediately reduce the amount of plastic Ska contributes to the environment by approximately four tons per year,” says Ska Brewing COO Steve Breezley. “This contributes to a reduction in overall waste and the carbon footprint associated with the shipping and storage of our products. The innovation, ethos and ethics behind this solution are what we’re all about.”
The installation of the CanCollar® Corsair™ is one of Ska’s ongoing, never-finished efforts to build a more sustainable future,” says Co-Founder and CEO Dave Thibodeau. “We saw the opportunity to implement this fiber-based CanCollar and we’re jumping on it. We hope it will become the industry standard moving forward.”
From the choice of aluminum cans over bottles and the recycling of bowling alley lanes and old denim in the tasting room design, to the reduction of water consumption in the brewhouse and so many other initiatives to reduce waste, Ska Brewing has been a thought leader paving the way for environmental innovation over the course of its nearly 28 years in business. The brewery would love to share these strategies with anyone who asks.
Beer lovers can look for all of Ska’s canned brand offerings to sport recyclable fiber collars applied by the CanCollar® Corsair™ on shelves starting in April.
Media inquiring about Ska Brewing or their sustainability objectives can contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com. Questions about WestRock can be directed to Robby Johnson at robby.b.johnson@westrock.com.
ABOUT SKA BREWING
Based in Durango, Colorado, Ska Brewing was founded in 1995 and produces more than a dozen award-winning beers fueled with Ska music, and lots of it. Pioneers in the canned craft beer movement, Ska Brewing is known for an array of styles in 12 oz cans that include True Blonde, Modus Hoperandi and Rue B. Soho. For information, music, and a good time, visit www.skabrewing.com.
ABOUT WESTROCK
WestRock (NYSE: WRK) is a global leader in sustainable paper and packaging solutions, with more than 50,000 teammates in the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Our integrated packaging capabilities offer end-to-end solutions to help customers address their greatest challenges.
Ska Brewing Decks Out World Headquarters Roof With 223 Solar Panels
The brewery has partnered with Durango’s Shaw Solar to install a grid-tied solar power system on as much of the surface area of its roof as possible.
photo by Shaw Solar
DURANGO, CO— Ska Brewing is excited to announce the installation of 223 solar panels courtesy of Shaw Solar at its World Headquarters, just in time for Summer Solstice. These new solar panels will generate enough energy to brew approximately 545,000 pints each year.
The brewery has partnered with Durango’s Shaw Solar to install a grid-tied solar power system on as much of the surface area of its roof as possible— 68 kilowatts from 223 panels to be exact.
These new solar panels join the insulation in the brewery’s walls made out of blue jeans, the bar and tables made from bowling alley lanes, and grass and flowers quenched by recycled water at Ska’s World Headquarters as part of the company’s long-term sustainability plan. They will provide about a quarter of the brewery’s electricity. The rest is wind-powered.
“This project with Shaw was a long time coming,” says Ska Founder Dave Thibodeau. “We’ve always aligned our company mission with sustainability efforts, especially those that directly impact Durango. Now we can proudly say that our independently owned craft brewery is independent from the grid.”
Ska Brewing’s new solar panel installation is now complete, and brewery guests can celebrate at this evening’s Sol-BQ event at World Headquarters with some live punk/ska music from Warsaw Poland Bro that begins at 5pm.
If you have questions about Ska’s new solar panels, or any of its sustainability initiatives, contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com.
ABOUT SKA BREWING
Based in Durango, Colorado, Ska Brewing was founded in 1995 and produces more than a dozen award-winning beers fueled with Ska music, and lots of it. Pioneers in the canned craft beer movement, Ska Brewing is known for an array of styles in 12 oz cans that include Mexican Logger, Modus Hoperandi, and Rue B. Soho. For information (a lot of it), more music, and a good time, visit www.skabrewing.com.
ABOUT SHAW SOLAR
Shaw Solar is Durango's leading full-service solar contracting company, specializing in both residential and commercial projects. Known for their creative solar solutions, Shaw Solar has spent the past two decades bringing "Solar Power to the People", and as a result has installed roughly half of the solar in our area, including LPEA's first grid-tied system back in 2001 and first Solar Garden in 2015. Learn more at shawsolar.com.
