A Philadelphia-based bottling company has ditched the so-called “six-pack” plastic rings featured in most packs of soda cans.

Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages, a local plant which bottles Coca-Cola products ranging from Diet Coke and Sprite to Powerade and Monster Energy, has replaced its plastic rings with a fiber-based paper packaging, as first reported by NBC Philadelphia.

The dangers of plastic rings have long been a topic of concern among conservationists and marine biologists.

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When these rings find their way into the ocean, they can endanger birds, mammals, turtles, and other marine life, due to their ability to get stuck around animals’ noses, mouths, and bodies. It’s estimated that plastic products kill around 100,000 marine animals a year.

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