BACARDI Rum Delivers with Streamlined, Sustainable Packaging

HAMILTON, Bermuda, July 1, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- It begins in an expansive, pristine forest in Georgia, in the southern United States. There, mature trees are selected for an evolution that results in beautiful, bright boxes that carry the award-winning BACARDI® rum to market. At every step along the way, sustainability is a key part of the equation – from trees that generate cardboard containers, to production lines that bottle and box, to trucks that transport the product.

The way containers are stacked and loaded onto transport trucks now is streamlined – another significant savings in terms of carbon footprint.  Fewer trucks deliver the same amount of bottles. 

"At Bacardi, even the corrugated cardboard cases used to ship our product play a role," says BACARDI rum brand director Kevin Oglesby. "They are designed to protect the bottles as well as reduce the environmental impact of our packaging."

Every cardboard container BACARDI rum uses for its packaging in North America originates from a sustainable forest. Harvested trees provide pulp for the recyclable cardboard cases – close to 10 million a year – and all receive endorsement from Forest Stewardship Council, Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification, or Sustainable Forestry Initiative.

"It's gratifying that Bacardi, with its philosophy of longevity and sustainability, is using a product grown on our land," says Joe Hopkins, a fourth-generation forester in Georgia. "Our companies are working in the same direction, with the same long-term view for viability."

The overarching vision of the Bacardi Limited Good Spirited sustainability platform is to return to the environment as least as much as it takes away. The Company pledges to use eco-friendly design in its brand packaging and point-of-sale materials.

Since 2006, when the Company began reporting its global impacts on the environment, Bacardi has reduced energy use by nearly 28 percent, supported by a 28.5 percent decrease in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

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:

• Global Packaging: By 2017, Bacardi plans to reduce the weight of its packaging by 10 percent and achieve 15 percent by 2022.
• 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.
• 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 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 29 facilities and sells in more than 160 countries. Bacardi Limited refers to the Bacardi group of companies, including Bacardi International Limited.

www.BacardiLimited.com

About BACARDI Rum
In 1862, in the city of Santiago de Cuba, founder Don Facundo Bacardí 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. www.bacardi.com

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©2014 BACARDI
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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SOURCE Bacardi Limited