Bacardi rolls out closed

Jul 08, 2023

Bacardi levels up its sustainability drive in travel retail by adopting eco-friendly packaging solutions and reducing single-use bottles

Bacardi has partnered with Carnival Cruise Line ships and EcoSpirits to introduce a sustainability initiative that will see the drinks company use closed-loop packaging to serve its products to the cruise sector.

The collaboration will kick off with a three-month pilot programme to determine if reusable containers – the EcoTote 3.0SC Cruise Edition – are a viable replacement for single-use glass.

The use of this eco-friendly alternative will enable the company to eliminate disposable packaging by 95%.

The concept will be tested on three ships operating from Miami: Carnival Celebration, Carnival Horizon and Carnival Sunrise.

Each EcoTote replaces approximately four bottles of Bacardi Superior rum, and each one is used, cleaned and refilled about 100 times, thereby creating a closed-loop system.

Bacardi estimates that the use of this innovative packaging within this trial period will replace around 9,400 bottles, significantly reducing waste.

Bacardi VP Global Safety, Quality & Sustainability Rodolfo Nervi said: “We are continuously looking for opportunities to deliver our beautiful drinks in more sustainable packaging and formats, helping us build a greener future.

“Innovating in closed-loop packaging has been a top priority for us for a number of years, so launching our very first EcoTote for Bacardi on a Carnival cruise ship and seeing the doors this trial will open, is an incredibly exciting step forward in that journey.”

The drinks company chose its award-winning rum for the pilot because of its popularity across the fleet.

The rum will be transferred from EcoTote to serving format using EcoSpirits’ SmartPour technology. New silver and red Bacardi-branded SmartPours will be placed in select bars on the three ships for beverage team members to serve cocktails made with Bacardi Superior rum.

EcoSpirits USA Managing Director Zdenek Kastanek added: “We are extremely proud to be working with both Bacardi and Carnival on this industry first for the cruise sector.

“Working with forward-thinking partners like this strengthens our collective focus on sustainable practices and our shared goal to eventually eliminate packaging waste across the industry.

“We could not be more delighted to be welcoming Bacardi to our portfolio of climate partners and, by launching in EcoTote format for the first time onboard Carnival’s ships, it will send a clear message that circular packaging is the most sustainable solution for the cruise industry.”

This image by EcoSpirits shows its innovative 360-degree approach to circular spirits distribution

The collaboration will also benefit the EcoSpirits Oceans Program. For every cycle of an EcoTote used during the trial period, a donation will be made to fund the removal of more than two pounds of single-use plastic, glass and other man-made wastes removed from endangered marine environments.

Carnival currently recycles single-use glass items. Each ship in the fleet is outfitted with a recycling centre, where crew members sort paper, plastic and glass recyclables. Last year, the company processed more than 11 million pounds of recyclables.

Carnival Cruise Line Senior Director of Beverage Operations Zachary Sulkes said: “As we continue to work towards our sustainability goals, the collaborative work of our beverage team, EcoSpirits and Bacardi is a great example of thinking in ways that are truly out-of-the-box, or in this case – out-of-the-bottle, to develop new partnerships and practices that further our ongoing efforts.”

Bacardi last year rolled-out innovative packaging designs to replace plastic with sustainably sourced alternatives as shown in the gift packs released in December 2022

This initiative comes as the company continues to bolster its sustainability drive by seeking out all opportunities to reduce packaging waste across its portfolio, which includes Bacardi rum, Grey Goose vodka, Patrón tequila, Martini vermouth and Dewar’s Blended Scotch whisky.

Bacardi notes that it is on track to meet its goal of eliminating all plastic from its secondary packaging and point-of-sale materials by the end of 2023. Last year, it made the pioneering move to remove the plastic pourer from its bottles in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, Spain and Portugal. ✈

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