Made of left over wheat and barley from the beer making process, these biobased six pack rings can be eaten or simply left to decompose. This material innovation comes from Saltwater Brewery, a group of craft beer makers from Delray Beach, Florida.

A study from Science magazine last year estimated that Americans generate somewhere between 40,000 and 110,000 metric tons of plastic waste that finds it way into oceans and waterways each year. This plastic can become stuck in the bodies of sea animals, with the toxic chemicals and bacteria being absorbed into their bodies and subsequently the ecosystem.

The brewers explain that their edible six pack rings are as durable and efficient as plastic packaging, although more expensive to produce – for now. The brewers hope that if more companies take the same direction by investing in technology and new materials, production costs will go down and these edible rings could become competitive in terms of price with standard ones. For now though, they hope consumers we be willing to pay slightly more for the good of sea life.

‘We ideated, designed, prototyped and manufactured Edible Six Pack Rings,’ the brewers said in a statement. ‘A six-pack packaging design that instead of killing animals, feeds them’

Although it is not yet clear whether animals should be encouraged to eat this beer packaging as an alternative food source, we can certainly say cheers to a 100% biodegradable and compostable alternative to standard plastic.

You can watch a video from the brewers explaining their innovation here.