By
Laura Hyde |
Carnival Cruise Line is collaborating with spirits company Bacardi and circular economy technology firm ecoSPIRITS to introduce closed-loop packaging to the cruise industry. The three-month long pilot programme will aim to determine if re-usable containers developed by ecoSPIRITS – the ecoTOTE 3.0SC Cruise Edition – can be used to serve Bacardi rum on Carnival ships, reducing single-use packaging by 95 per cent.
“As we continue to work towards our sustainability goals, the collaborative work of our beverage team, ecoSPIRITS and Bacardi is a great example of thinking in ways that are truly out-of-the-box, or in this case – out-of-the-bottle, to develop new partnerships and practices that further our ongoing efforts,” said Zachary Sulkes, senior director of beverage operations at Carnival Cruise Line.
Each ecoTOTE replaces approximately four bottles of Bacardi superior rum, and each one is used, cleaned and refilled approximately 100 times, thereby creating a closed loop system. It is estimated the pilot will save approximately 9,400 bottles.
Bacardi’s rum, which is among the most-ordered spirits across the Carnival fleet, will be transferred from ecoTOTE to serving format using ecoSPIRITS’ SmartPour technology. New silver and red Bacardi-branded SmartPours will be placed in select bars onboard Carnival Celebration, Carnival Horizon and Carnival Sunrise, which operate from Miami, USA.
“As we strive to become the most environmentally responsible global spirits company, we are continuously looking for opportunities to deliver our beautiful drinks in more sustainable packaging and formats, helping us build to a greener future,” said Rodolfo Nervi, vice president, global safety, quality and sustainability for Bacardi. “Innovating in closed loop packaging has been a top priority for us for a number of years, so launching our very first ecoTOTE for Bacardi rum on a Carnival cruise ship and seeing the doors this trial will open, is an incredibly exciting step forwards in that journey.”
The partnership will support the ecoSPIRITS Oceans Program; for each ecoTOTE delivered as part of the pilot, a donation will fund the removal of more than two pounds of single-use plastic, glass and other man-made wastes from endangered marine environments.