Bacardi reduces the carbon footprint of its glass bottle production, a first for the spirits industry

Pioneering new technology tested in collaboration with Hrastnik1860 cuts greenhouse gas emissions by over 30%

12-Dec-2023

Family-owned spirits company Bacardi successfully completed the world's first commercial production of a glass spirits bottle made from hydrogen fuel in a trial earlier this month. "Piloting this low-carbon glass production is yet another example of Bacardi's leadership in environmental best practices."

Bacardi collaborated with high-end glassmaker Hrastnik1860 to develop a new technology to power a glass furnace with hydrogen as the main energy source and, in so doing, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which typically result from the production of glass bottles.

For the purposes of the trial, the emblematic ST-GERMAIN® elderflower liqueur bottle was chosen. The resulting bottle is identical in appearance to that produced using traditional methods, and will be arriving in bars and stores in the coming weeks.

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During the trial, which produced 150,000 of the brand's 70cl glass bottles, hydrogen provided over 60% of the fuel for the glass furnace, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by over 30%.

"Piloting this low-carbon glass production is yet another example of Bacardi's leadership in environmental best practices," said Rodolfo Nervi, Bacardi's Vice President of Safety, Quality and Sustainability. "We will use the lessons learned from this trial to help develop a path to hydrogen-powered glass production, and create a model for others to follow. Only by making industry-wide changes can we significantly transform our impact on the environment."

Peter Čas, CEO of Hrastnik1860, added: "We are delighted to have succeeded in producing high-quality, low-emission glass bottles on a commercial scale, without any compromise on quality, and we can say that all the effort involved was worthwhile. Like Bacardi, we are committed to developing innovations that reduce emissions while maintaining superior quality. This revolutionary technology proves that the two can go hand in hand, and we are now taking the first steps to bring it to market."

To achieve its ambition of becoming the world's most environmentally-friendly spirits company, Bacardi is continually investing in innovations and exploring opportunities to use new, cutting-edge technologies to achieve its ultimate goal of carbon neutrality.

To find out more about Bacardi and its ESG (environmental, social and governance) commitments, including its alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, visit www.bacardilimited.com/good-spirited.

Always drink responsibly.

Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in French can be found here.

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