Bacardi, the worlds largest family-owned spirits company, has made a step forward in the fight against plastic pollution as it unveiled plans to put the world’s most sustainable spirits bottle on the shelf by 2023.
The biodegradable bottle will replace 80 million plastic bottles and 3,000 tons of plastic produced annually across Bacardi’s brands, including Patron, Martini, Dewars, Bombay Sapphire, Grey Goose.
It is made of biopolymer which derives from the natural oils of plant seeds such as palm, canola and soy. While a regular plastic bottle takes over 400 years to decompose, the new spirits bottle made from Nodax™ PHA will biodegrade in a wide range of environments, including compost, soil, freshwater and seawater, and after 18 months disappear without leaving behind harmful microplastics.
Bacardi’s rum is set to be the first spirit to appear in the new bottle before the plant-based material is rolled out to replace all single-use plastic across the supply chain and the company’s 200 brands.
Ned Duggan, Senior Vice President, BACARDÍ rum, said: ‘Over our 158-year history, BACARDÍ has always believed in respecting the world’s natural resources and acting responsibly, from the sustainable sourcing of our sugarcane to the water and energy used to make our rum. We’re now excited to be pioneering this new biopolymer technology for the benefit of all Bacardi brands and the entire spirits industry.’
Today’s announcement by Bacardi represents a significant step towards the company achieving its goal of being 100% plastic-free in the next ten years. As well as launching the new biopolymer bottle in 2023, the company has also committed to removing all its non-essential, single-use plastic, including all plastic gift box materials and plastic point-of-sale materials, in the next three years.
