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Bacardi cuts greenhouse emissions by 50%

More than a year ahead of its target, Bacardi has cut its global greenhouse gas emissions in half – the equivalent of taking 15,000 cars off the road each year.

Bacardi has cut its global greenhouse gas emissions intensity in half

Bacardi completed the goal months ahead of its end of December 2017 target, set as part of its global ‘Good Spirited: Building a Sustainable Future’ environmental sustainability platform which encompasses responsible sourcing, packaging, and operational efficiencies.

According to the firm, the reduction is equivalent to reducing oil use by 165,000 barrels annually or installing 18 wind turbines.

Mike Dolan, chief executive officer of Bacardi Limited, said: “This is great news, and we should all be very proud as we recognise that climate change poses one of the greatest challenges to the continued prosperity of society.

“We set an ambitious corporate responsibility goal, and we reached it nearly 15 months early. We not only achieved it; we surpassed it with outside-the-box thinking, hard work and the passion of Bacardi employees.”

The firm has made a wealth of changes on its sustainability mission: installing biomass boilers at its Tequila Cazadores, Aberfeldy and Royal Brackla facilities and fuelling them with renewable organic material; harnessing wind power to produce Bacardi rum in Puerto Rico; and introducing a ‘green’ distillery for Bombay Sapphire.

Other such initiatives include the creation of an energy-efficient blending and shipping center for Dewar’s and William Lawson’s Scotch whiskies; introducing hydropower for the production of Martini vermouth and sparkling wines; and partnering with Ryder to transport goods across the US in the “the cleanest, most efficient way possible”.

Moving forward, Bacardi will set new targets in alignment with the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and supporting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

“Through full-circle thinking, we were able to stay the course on this 10-year vision,” added Jean-Marc Lambert, senior vice president, Global Operations.

“We’re not stopping here – we’re working toward a net-zero impact throughout the entire value chain in the production of our world-class brands. Our goal is to return to the environment as least as much as we take away.”

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