‘Waste not, want not.’
Or so goes the mindset at the newly renovated distillery for Bacardi-owned Bombay Sapphire gin, which runs on sustainability.
Laverstoke Mill, in the England countryside, produces slightly less than a ton of spent botanicals from one day’s worth of gin-making, enough provide renewable energy to power one of its stills, according to a press release.
Spent juniper berries, lemon peels, grains of paradise, coriander, cubeb berries, orris root, almonds, cassia bark, licorice, and angelica are burned with other organic matter to create the heat needed to distill gin.
The development of Laverstoke Mill followed the Bacardi Limited “Good Spirited” global sustainability initiative, a campaign across all Bacardi brands to reach the company-wide vision of a net-zero eco impact. Bacardi has already reduced both nonrenewable energy use and greenhouse gas emissions by 28% across all brands, according to a press release.
BREEAM, an environmental assessment method and rating system for buildings, dedicated the 2014 BREEAM Industrial Award to the Laverstoke Mill. BREEAM gave the renovation project the highest marks for the lowest possible environmental impact, citing the use of renewable materials and the low-carbon energy the biomass boiler provides.
The large project required substantial deconstruction and reconstruction of the historical Georgian and Victorian architecture onsite, which is protected by law. Moreover, the entire property and the River Test that cuts through it are government-regulated as they hold Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) designation. Crews salvaged materials like bricks, windows and fixtures to ensure that the renovation remained historically conscious and conservation-minded.
The eco-conscious design included a funnel shoot from the infusion room to collect the used gin botanicals in the bed of a small utility truck, so the organic matter could be trucked over, with a 30-second drive, to the biomass boiler, which will burn any suitable organic matter.
The Bacardi Good Spirited platform sets specific, new goals in three vital 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% of the sugarcane-derived products used to make BACARDÍ premium rums from certified, sustainable sources – and 100% by 2022.
- 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% and achieve 15% by 2022. Bacardi collaborates with its partners to make packaging more environmentally friendly.
- 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% and GHG emissions by 50%. The Company further seeks innovative treatments for water left over from production. 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, bacardilimited.com/good-spirited.
