BACARDI Rum Takes Concrete Approach To Achieve Zero Waste
By: Robert Diamond Apr. 22, 2014
Bacardi Limited is raising the bar on environmental sustainability, site by site. The high standards are evident at the BACARDI rum distillery in Catano, Puerto Rico, where the Company recently constructed three new aging warehouses using tons of recycled concrete.
The ambitious project - at the world's largest premium rum distillery - required demolition of six older structures on the 127-acre campus just outside San Juan. In a major cost- and environment-saving move, construction crews recycled the more than 2,300 tons of rubble, amounting to 150 truckloads of concrete.
"We took all the rubble from the demolition and reused it as backfill material in building our new warehouses," says Julio Torruella, Project Director for Bacardi in Puerto Rico. "This was a zero-waste project designed to reuse steel and concrete, rather than sending material to the landfill."
This action eliminated both landfill waste and the need to buy new materials for the buildings. As part of its sustainability program, Bacardi aims to eliminate landfill waste at all of its production sites by 2022.
"On this Earth Day, Bacardi celebrates all achievements that protect the environment as we salute our Company's great strides in building a more sustainable future," says Stuart Lowthian, Global Technical Director with responsibility for the operational efficiencies at Bacardi facilities globally.
Building on current programs that reduce the Company's impact on the environment, the Bacardi Limited "Good Spirited" global sustainability program sets specific goals in three areas:
- Responsible Sourcing: Bacardi strives to obtain all raw materials and packaging from sustainably sourced, renewable or recycled materials, while maintaining or enhancing the economic status of growers and suppliers. By 2017, the goal is to obtain 40 percent of the sugarcane-derived products used to make BACARDI rum from certified, sustainable sources - and 100 percent by 2022. This pledge from Bacardi is an industry first.
- Global Packaging: Bacardi commits to use eco-design to craft sustainability into its brand packaging and point-of-sale materials. By 2017, Bacardi plans to reduce the weight of its packaging by 10 percent; the goal is to achieve a 15 percent reduction by 2022.
- Operational Efficiencies: Bacardi continues to focus on reducing water use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with a 2017 goal to cut water use by 55 percent and GHG emissions by 50 percent.
To learn more about Bacardi Limited and its "Good Spirited: Building a Sustainable Future" environmental initiative for sourcing, packaging and operational efficiencies across the entire Bacardi family of premium spirits brands, visit http://www.bacardilimited.com/good-spirited.
About Bacardi Limited
Bacardi Limited, the largest privately held spirits company in the world, produces and markets internationally recognized spirits and wines. The Bacardi brand portfolio comprises more than 200 brands and labels, including BACARDI rum, the world's best-selling and most-awarded rum, as well as the world's most-awarded spirit; GREY GOOSE vodka, the world's leading super-premium vodka; DEWAR'S Blended Scotch whisky, the world's most-awarded blended Scotch; BOMBAY SAPPHIRE gin, the top-valued and fastest-growing premium gin in the world; MARTINI vermouth and sparkling wines, the world's leading vermouth and the world's favorite Italian sparkling wines; CAZADORES 100% blue agave tequila, one of the most popular premium tequilas in Mexico and the United States; and other leading and emerging brands including WILLIAM LAWSON'S, the fastest-growing global Scotch whisky brand; ERISTOFF vodka, one of the fastest-growing vodka brands in the world; and ST-GERMAIN, a super-premium elderflower liqueur.
Founded 152 years ago in Santiago de Cuba on February 4, 1862, family-owned Bacardi employs nearly 6,000 people, manufactures its brands at 27 facilities and sells in more than 150 countries. Bacardi Limited refers to the Bacardi group of companies, including Bacardi International Limited.
About BACARDI Rum
In 1862, in the city of Santiago de Cuba, founder Don Facundo Bacardi Masso revolutionized the spirits industry when he created a light-bodied rum with a particularly smooth taste - BACARDI. The unique taste of BACARDI rum inspired cocktail pioneers to invent some of the world's most famous recipes including the BACARDI Mojito, the BACARDI Daiquiri, the BACARDI Cuba Libre, the BACARDI Pina Colada and the BACARDI Presidente. BACARDI rum is the world's most awarded rum, and spirit, with more than 550 awards for quality, taste and innovation. Today, BACARDI rum is made in Puerto Rico and Mexico where it is crafted to ensure the taste remains the same as it did when it was first blended in 1862.
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