Medalla Light, The Great Reef Brewer

Medalla Light, The Great Reef Brewer

Brewing a better future: Using beer bottles to restore coral reefs

UN SDG No. 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

In June 2022, Puerto Rico declared an ecological state of emergency in response to climate change, disease and pollution destroying large portions of its coral reefs. Medalla Light, Puerto Rico’s national beer company, partnered with DDB Latina and marine biologists to start an innovative project that transformed beer bottles into coral sand. The initiative primarily sourced glass from Medalla Light beer bottles, which are made from sand of the Caribbean region and contains the same components found in natural coral skeletons. Together, the team recycled more than 30,000 glass bottles, restored 100,000 square feet of reef and created over 700 new coral colonies in just one year. The initiative drove a 4,000% increase in social media discussion of the coral crisis and a push for legislation that better protects marine ecosystems.