Sustainability: mixers need more innovation

Innovation in sustainability is lagging behind because “nobody was giving a crap about recycling” over the last 20 years, noted a leading tonic water producer.

Sustainability has come to the forefront of everyone’s minds in recent years, from producers and retailers to distributors and consumers.

However, because sustainability was not prioritised over the last couple of decades, progress in the tonic and mixer category has not been as quick as it should have been, according to tonic and mixer producer Three Cents.

Speaking to The Spirits Business last month, George Tsirikos, co-founder of Three Cents, said: “As a company, we will always do what we need to do regarding recycling, but some countries have different laws.

“Unfortunately, nobody was giving a crap about recycling over the last 20 years. Nowadays, we understand everyone needs to be sustainable, but there is a long way to go.

“We need to innovate to become better in years to come; and until now there have been no huge innovations in the category to do better.”

Tsirikos noted the expense that comes with being more sustainable, but said that the more companies that adopt sustainable practices, the more affordable this will be in the long run.

By the end of 2022, Tsirikos is confident Three Cents will meet the environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards.

“We want people to understand how sustainable we are as a company, that’s the biggest thing,” Tsirikos explained, adding the company is working with its bottling company to become more environmentally friendly.

“The second part is going to be working with bottling company, which will hopefully have all the certificates as well to be greener and more sustainable. Even though we don’t own that company, we think they should have those certificates to be greener.

“We come from a small company and we have evolved; we’re not only focused on creating the best-tasting products. We need to be an example for other companies in the same category, and show them they can have a premium mixer and work in a green way.

“If we can be a good example to other companies, that’s going to be a great thing.”

Tonic and mixer maker Lixir Drinks believes a “planet-positive approach” to business is imperative to build a successful company.

To celebrate Earth Day last week, we looked a handful of spirits brands working to protect the planet.