Earthrings: The Sustainable Packaging Company Helping Beverage Brands QuitPlastic for Good

Featured on Sustainable Talks, an eco-friendly business directory.

If you’ve ever cracked open a six-pack of craft beer, chances are you’ve held one of those thin plastic rings the kind that has become infamous for entangling seabirds, turtles, and other marine life, and for lingering in landfills for centuries. Earthrings was built to solve exactly that problem.

Earthrings is a plastic-free, compostable, and recyclable can carrier, made in the USA from solid fiber cardboard, that replaces plastic rings and shrink-wrap for beverage brands, breweries, and co-packers.

Below, we break down what Earthrings is made of, why it’s genuinely — not just nominally — environmentally friendly, the practical case for switching, and where to get it.

What Is Earthrings?

Earthrings is headquartered in Elgin, Illinois (in the greater Chicago area), with a second operations base in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, giving it manufacturing and shipping capability on both sides of the U.S.–Canada border.

The company’s flagship product is a fiber-based can carrier available in 4-pack, 6-pack, and 8-pack configurations designed to replace the plastic rings and shrink film traditionally used to bundle beverage cans. It was engineered from the outset to be plastic-free, durable enough to survive a cooler full of ice, and priced to compete directly with conventional plastic packaging rather than serve as a premium niche alternative.

Is Earthrings Actually Environmentally Friendly?

Yes. Unlike many “eco” can carriers that use a thin plastic laminate to handle moisture — which quietly makes them non-recyclable and non-compostable Earthrings uses no plastic at all. That distinction is what separates genuine sustainable packaging from greenwashed cardboard.

• 100% plastic-free construction. Earthrings are made from several layers of solid, virgin fiber cardboard — no plastic film, foam, or synthetic ring.
• Home compostable. The carriers can go straight into a home or garden compost pile, where they break down naturally.
• Curbside recyclable. For anyone who doesn’t compost, Earthrings can go in a standard household recycling bin as recyclable cardboard.
• Moisture resistance without plastic. A double coating of a proprietary, food-grade, biodegradable material lets the cardboard withstand condensation, coolers, and rain without plastic lamination. (They’re biodegradable rather than waterproof, so extended, extreme wet exposure will eventually break them down which is the point.)
• Material efficiency. Carriers are engineered to use the minimum material needed to securely hold cans through the supply chain.
• Reforestation partnership. Through a partnership with Greenspark, Earthrings plants one tree for every 5 cases sold, with an impact tracker customers can scan to follow.

Why Breweries Are Switching: The Business Case

Sustainability only works at scale if it also makes business sense. Here’s where Earthrings holds up as a practical packaging decision, not just a values-driven one:

• Competitive pricing. Earthrings runs about 2¢ per can  positioned to be cheaper than many conventional multi-pack options, not just “worth the premium.”
• Low minimum order. A single carton of 1,000 pieces is enough to get started, so smaller and growing breweries aren’t forced to tie up cash flow in bulk orders.
• Built for real handling. Designed to hold up in coolers, on fishing trips, and in humid storage durability that’s often the weak point of non-plastic alternatives.
• Applicator options at every volume. Earthrings offers:
• Custom branding. Brands can put their logo directly on the rings, turning packaging into a marketing surface (minimum order of 100,000 units for custom-branded runs, plus a processing fee).
• Fast turnaround. Orders typically ship same-day, with delivery in about a week.
• Service and replacement guarantees. Earthrings replaces any product damaged prior to application, and offers free phone/video technical support for applicator machines, with on-site support available at additional cost.

Where Earthrings Operates

• United States: U.S. operations and shipping are based in Elgin, Illinois (metro Chicago). Earthrings has also built relationships with state-level craft brewing groups, including the California Craft Brewers Association and the New York State Brewers Association — two of the largest craft beer markets in the country.
• Canada: Canadian orders ship from Richmond, British Columbia (metro Vancouver), giving Canadian breweries a domestic option without cross-border shipping costs or delays.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Earthrings made of?

Several layers of solid, virgin fiber cardboard, with a double coating of a proprietary food-grade, biodegradable material that resists moisture without using plastic.

Are Earthrings compostable or recyclable?

Both. They can go into a home or garden compost pile, or into a standard curbside recycling bin if you don’t compost.

Can Earthrings handle a cooler or rain?

Yes, the biodegradable coating holds up well in coolers, humid storage, and outdoor conditions. Because it’s biodegradable rather than plastic, prolonged extreme wet exposure will eventually break it down.

How much do Earthrings cost?

About 2¢ per can.

Is there a minimum order?

Yes, one carton of 1,000 pieces for standard orders. Custom-branded rings require a minimum of 100,000 units.

What equipment do I need to apply Earthrings?

It depends on volume: a manual lever applicator or pneumatic Case Packer for smaller operations, or the CB-300, CB-350, or CB-450 automated machines (80+, 150+, and 300+ cans per minute, respectively) for higher-volume lines.

Where do Earthrings ship from?

U.S. orders ship from the Chicago, Illinois area; Canadian orders ship from the metro Vancouver, British Columbia area.

Why choose Earthrings over other cardboard can carriers?

Many competing cardboard rings use a thin plastic layer or other additives to manage moisture, which prevents them from being genuinely recyclable or compostable. Earthrings uses no plastic, so it stays both curbside recyclable and home compostable.

Does Earthrings support environmental causes beyond its packaging?

Yes — through its Greenspark partnership, Earthrings plants one tree for every 5 cases sold, with a scannable QR code that lets customers track collective impact.

Final Thoughts

Earthrings is a focused example of what genuinely sustainable packaging can look like: a single product line compostable, recyclable, plastic-free can carriers  engineered to solve one very visible problem in the beverage industry. For breweries and beverage brands across the U.S. and Canada, it’s one of the more straightforward ways to cut plastic waste without compromising shelf appeal, durability, or cost.

Ready to make the switch?

Get a quote or order a free sample pack — Earthrings’ team can recommend the right can carrier and applicator setup for your volume and can sizes.Explore the Earthrings listing on Sustainable Talks to get started.