WestRock : Cascade embraces sustainable packaging

Cascade Brewery will no longer use plastic shrink wrap packaging on its six-pack bottles of beer, opting to use Westrock-designed cardboard packs instead, saving around half a million pieces of plastic from entering the environment each year.

This is the latest step in Cascade's transformation into a more sustainable operation, with the brewery already transitioning away from plastic rings to cardboard packaging for six-pack cans back in 2018.

As part of the discontinuation of shrink wrap, Cascade has invested more than $1 million in a state-of-the-art packing machine, which locks the bottles into specially-designed grooves in the cardboard packaging.

"We know some shrink wrap plastic enters the Tasmanian environment and has a damaging effect, and consumers can now enjoy their favourite stubbies knowing they come in cardboard made from sustainably-sourced timber," said Jesse Cartwright, Cascade Brewery manager.

"But anyone worried that the new packaging won't safely hold their beers need not be. The cardboard is sturdy and its specially-designed grooves ensure the bottle lock firmly in place.

"From introducing sustainable packaging, to reducing our water consumption, and sourcing more of our raw ingredients locally, we are constantly creating more sustainable operations, and looking for more opportunities to do so," added Cartwright.