New Documentary Throws Open the Doors of One of the UK’s Biggest Breweries

A brand new documentary that goes behind the scenes of one of the biggest breweries in Europe has been released.

The film follows staff at the Heineken Brewery in Manchester as they install a massive new production line which will eliminate plastic rings that hold four-pack cans together.

The brewery will be the first in the UK to install a packaging line that will package cans of beers with the ‘Green Grip’ – a cardboard holder which is 100% recyclable and totally compostable.

The brewery in Manchester which employs over 260 people, is the first of HEINEKEN’s three UK sites that’s benefitting from a £22m investment to eradicate plastic. By the end of 2021 when similar work will have taken place in Hereford (where the company’s ciders including Strongbow are made) and Tadcaster (where John Smith’s is brewed) will save over 500 tonnes of plastic every year.

The film has been commissioned to follow the ups and downs of installing the brand new equipment, while keeping the brewery running 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In one scene, the film shows Technical Operator, Jack Kelly and Yutika Patel, Maintenance Manager, waiting with baited breath as some of the equipment is manoeuvred into its new position – to make way for the new machinery coming soon.

Matt Callan, Brewing & Operations Director, “This is a huge investment and transformation in Manchester, as well as the equipment suppliers, our local project and production teams will bring the experience and capabilities to deliver this new innovation to market. Along with the business’ investment, it’s our colleagues’ efforts that will result in us producing millions of packs of cans that will save hundreds of tonnes of plastic. The new Green Grip can-holder is one of the few cardboard packs which has a lower CO2 footprint than a plastic alternative, so this really is an innovation which delivers a sustainable solution.”

And it’s not just cutting out the plastic that’s providing huge sustainability benefits. Reducing energy usage, saving water and even reusing CO2 are all having a big impact on Heineken Manchester’s environmental footprint.

The first of the three part documentary is available now on YouTube with the other episodes being released later in the year.