Zap Zika: This Smart Beer Packaging Wards Off Mosquitoes

Beer companies are always trying to figure out new ways to appeal to their target demographic, but this collaboration between SP Lager and Australian/New Zealand agency GPY&R takes the cake with its clever packaging design. SP Lager (a subsidiary of Heineken) is one of the most popular beers in Papua New Guinea, where locals tend to enjoy their frosty suds outdoors, oftentimes gathered around the warm, communal glow of a campfire. The problem with that is the country is riddled with mosquitoes. With the spread of the mosquito-borne Zika virus on the rise, GPY&R may be onto something even more significant than they originally thought.

Their solution? Kill two birds, er, mosquitoes, with one stone: packaging that also doubles as an insect repellent. The SP Lager Mozzie Box is a carton treated with eucalyptus, a natural deterrent that rebuffs insects when it's burned. Now people can drink beer in peace, knowing mosquitoes will be held at bay by the fumes.

The concept is so good, it won the agency a Silver Lion in Promo & Activation at the 2014 Cannes Festival. Selfishly, we'd like to see an American brewery jump on this bandwagon, too. Burning beer cases to repel insects would not only be a great means of recycling, but camping trips would become 100 times more enjoyable without hoards of annoying mosquitoes impinging on the beer-drinking experience. Here's a video that explains: