Michelob Ultra Beer Goes Green With Aluminum Used in iPhones

(Bloomberg) -- Michelob Ultra beer is getting an upgrade: it’ll be served in cans made from the same aluminum used in iPhones and Apple watches.

The appeal of the metal is a better carbon footprint. Beermaker Anheuser-Busch InBev NV and metal producer Rio Tinto Group said Friday that the new cans are partly made using a “carbon-free” process that eliminates greenhouse gases. The specialty metal comes from a joint venture between Rio Tinto and Alcoa Corp., called Elysis, which has counted Apple Inc. among its backers.

American consumers have been demanding and paying more for food and beverages that make sustainability claims, causing many traditional brands to scramble for an edge among shoppers.

The move to lower-carbon cans advances “the transition toward more sustainable packaging” and also provides traceability, Tolga Egrilmezer, Rio Tinto’s vice president of sales and marketing, said in a statement. “Responsibly produced aluminium can play key role in helping our customers deliver the sustainable products expected by today’s consumers.”

The new aluminum-making process emits oxygen instead of carbon, a process that could revolutionize the industry if it’s successful at a commercial scale.

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