Pernod Ricard has signed a five-year global licensing agreement with circular economy tech company, ecoSPIRITS. It will see Pernod Ricard’s spirit brands distributed in fully reusable 4.5-litre glass containers to on-trade venues around the world.
With ecoSPIRITS, Pernod Ricard products are transported in bulk and delivered to hospitality venues in a fully reusable 4.5-litre glass ecoTOTE container.
This latest collaboration aims to further promote circularity in the spirits industry, a core priority of Pernod Ricards’ 2030 Sustainability and Responsibility roadmap.
“This next step in our partnership with ecoSPIRITS reflects our belief in the transformative power of this solution to enhance operational efficiency and reduce not only our environmental footprint, but the impact of our industry at large,” said Maria Pia de Caro, EVP Integrated Operations and Sustainability at Pernod Ricard.
“We are excited to continue working together to refine, scale and champion ecoSPIRITS as the future of wine and spirits distribution.”
The relationship between the two companies began with a pilot programme in Singapore, which this latest collaboration is built upon, where Pernod Ricard deployed ecoSPIRITS’ closed loop packaging technology with several of its iconic brands.
This pilot was instrumental in identifying the practical challenges and opportunities of circular distribution, providing Pernod Ricard with invaluable insights into operational, technological and sustainability aspects critical for scaling up circular packaging solutions.
The Singapore pilot was then followed by a first local market deployment under the new global agreement, with the introduction of a closed loop system for Havana Club Rum in the brand’s home market of Cuba. The new system has been consolidated at an industrial level, with a dedicated ecoPLANT at Havana Club’s distillery in San Jose de las Lajas.
The initiative in Cuba anticipates concrete outcomes, including reduced bottle imports and glass waste, which will translate into an 88 per cent reduction of the carbon emissions footprint related to premium spirits packaging and distribution, and a reduction of glass waste by 99 per cent.
“Pernod Ricard and ecoSPIRITS have been working together for almost three years now to make circularity a reality in the spirits industry. This new global agreement builds on that journey, and our combined expertise, to bring circular packaging to more Pernod Ricard markets around the world,” said Paul Gabie, CEO of ecoSPIRITS.
“We are inspired by Pernod Ricard’s commitment to Circular Making and look forward to working even more closely with their brands and market teams.”
As part of the original pilot project, three of Pernod Ricard’s spirits brands – Beefeater London Dry Gin, Havana Club Rum and Absolut Vodka – were successfully deployed in ecoTOTE format and dispensed in venues using co-branded SmartPour technology.
These brands will now be introduced to new markets under the new global agreement, with additional brands from the Group’s portfolio to be added over time.
Accolade Wines ran a trial with the technology in 2022.
