Environment

World’s Favorite BACARDÍ Rum Recycles Water in “Good Spirited” Initiative

Mar 25, 2014 9:00 AM ET
Campaign: Bacardi Limited Good Spirited: Building a Sustainable Future

Hamilton, Bermuda, March 25, 2014 /3BL Media/ – Water is key to the production of BACARDÍ rum. On average, it takes 12 liters of water to create one liter of any distilled spirit. At the BACARDÍ distillery’s island home in Puerto Rico, water conservation is an important component of the Bacardi Limited sustainability commitment.

Water is used to clean the American white oak barrels in which BACARDÍ rum ages. Imported from Kentucky – and once used for whiskey as these barrels help develop the unique flavor, aroma and smoothness of BACARDÍ rum – the barrels are carefully rinsed before being filled. At Bacardi, this bathwater does not go to waste. It’s collected – then re-used – to spray down and reduce the temperatures of the cooling towers used in the rum distillation process. Engineers at the Puerto Rico facility, the world’s largest premium rum distillery, have calculated the savings.

“We recycle about 15,000 gallons of water per day,” says Magaly Feliciano, Environmental Health and Safety Manager for Bacardi in Puerto Rico. “That’s enough to supply the daily water needs of 40 families of four.”

Since the Company began tracking its global impacts on the environment in 2006, Bacardi has reduced global water use by 54 percent, supported by a 72 percent reduction in water left over from the production of BACARDÍ rum.

Building on current programs and efficiencies that reduce water and energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, 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 BACARDÍ 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 and achieve 15 percent 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. In addition, Bacardi aims to eliminate landfill waste at all of its production sites by 2022.

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 BACARDÍ® 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.  www.BacardiLimited.com

About BACARDÍ Rum

In 1862, in the city of Santiago de Cuba, founder Don Facundo Bacardí Massó revolutionized the spirits industry when he created a light-bodied rum with a particularly smooth taste – BACARDÍ. The unique taste of BACARDÍ rum inspired cocktail pioneers to invent some of the world’s most famous recipes including the BACARDÍ Mojito, the BACARDÍ Daiquirí, the BACARDÍ Cuba Libre, the BACARDÍ Piña Colada and the BACARDÍ Presidente. BACARDÍ rum is the world’s most awarded rum, and spirit, with more than 550 awards for quality, taste and innovation. Today, BACARDÍ 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. www.bacardi.com

Media Contacts

Patricia M. Neal/Amy Federman, +1.441.294.1110, afederman@bacardi.com

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BACARDI, THE BAT DEVICE & OTHER MARKS RELATED TO PRODUCTS ARE TRADEMARKS OF BACARDI & COMPANY LIMITED OR OF OTHER SUBSIDIARIES OF BACARDI LIMITED.

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