Buying a six-pack of beer or sodas can come with some guilt thanks to those pesky plastic rings. It’s estimated that 1 million sea birds and 100,000 marine mammals and sea turtles die from getting trapped in plastic rings or ingesting them each year.

Saltwater Brewery, located in Delray Beach, Florida, has invented an eco-friendly alternative to plastic six-pack rings in the form of 100 percent biodegradable and edible rings made from the excess wheat and barley that’s produced at the brewery daily.

Saltwater Brewery came up with the idea with the help of advertising agency We Believers and began working on functional prototypes. Upon its creation, the company has attempted to patent the technology, which is currently pending.

As the first brewery of its kind to create this type of product, the cost of the edible rings is substantially higher than the generic plastic rings at the moment.

The company contends that with continued traction and support, the rings can become a mainstay at every brewery. The hope is that as more companies adopt this technology, the cost for production will dwindle.

Initial production will begin later in the year, and Saltwater Brewery plans to use its edible six-pack rings to help save lives at sea while continuing to satisfy lager lovers everywhere.

Want to learn more about sea turtles? Check out these fun facts, and read about the best places to dive with sea turtles!