Asahi Breweries Ltd. said Thursday it will abandon a plan to sell beer in plastic bottles later this year following objections from environmental groups.
Asahi had planned to launch Japan's first beer container made of polyethylene terephthalate as part of a strategy to promote the drink among younger consumers who value convenience and style, according to the company.
However, Greenpeace Japan led a campaign targeting the plan, claiming that the introduction of plastic bottles would create waste disposal problems and would be bad for the environment.
Since the company unveiled the plastic bottle plan in July, it has received about 800 inquiries, half of which expressed objections, according to Asahi Breweries.
Greenpeace said that the beer industry should stick to the use of glass bottles, for which a recycling system exists.
An Asahi official said the company decided to shelve the plastic bottle plan for the time being.