International alcohol drinks firm Diageo, whose portfolio includes Baileys, Captain Morgon, Don Julio, Guinness, Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, and Tanqueray, has announced a partnership with ecoSprits to distribute their offerings in Southeast Asia.
ecoSPIRITS is a closed-loop alcohol distribution system with smart, refillable ecoTOTES used to refill bottles on-premise. Once empty, the ecoTOTES are shipped back to Diageo to be cleaned, sanitized, filled up with product, and shipped out again.
Diageo will also be the global launch partner for ecoSPIRITS next-generation technology and the first partner to run an ecoPLANT bottling facility. The new program is part of Diageo’s effort to meet its 2030 sustainability targets, including reducing its total packaging weight and achieving zero-waste-to-landfill from its supply chain by ten percent.
The ecoTOTES will be co-branded with Diageo’s many flagship products, and the pilot program will start with Smirnoff and Captian Morgan. The ecoTOTES will also use ecoSPIRITS’ SmartPour 2.0S technology, which tracks totes and dispensing utilizing a blend of Internet-of-Things (IoT) hardware and software. According to ecoSPIRITS, one pallet of ecoTOTES eliminates up to 800 single-use glass bottles, 100 cardboard cartons, and ancillary bits of plastic and foil.
“Diageo is guided by the goals outlined in our Society 2030: Spirit of Progress 10-year action plan, and we are committed to building a low-carbon and zero-waste world,” said Preeti Arora Razdan, CEO, Southeast Asia, Diageo, via a press release. “We are thrilled to be partnering with ecoSPIRITS to help us deliver on this promise to significantly reduce our carbon footprint and eliminate unnecessary glass waste with our on-premise customers. This pilot is an important step in the right direction to innovate and model a more sustainable solution for all our markets in Southeast Asia.”
The closed-loop program marks the latest sustainability experiment for Diageo, following its partnership with paper bottle maker Pulpex.
Images courtesy of Diageo.
