Featured image for Bacardi Unveils Their Biodegradable PHA-Based Bottles

Bacardi Unveils Their Biodegradable PHA-Based Bottles

by Rudy Sanchez on 10/27/2020 | 2 Minute Read

Partners Bacardi and Danimer Scientific, a leading developer and manufacturer of biodegradable materials, have announced a new bottle made of Danimer’s Nodax PHA. When fully rolled out, the spirits company expects to replace 80 million conventional plastic bottles, avoiding the use of 3,000 tons of plastic annually.

Whereas conventional synthetic plastic can take centuries to degrade, Nodax PHA is a plant-based material that will degrade safely in a variety of environments and is also compostable. The bottle takes no more than 18 months to degrade fully and leaves no microplastic bits behind. The Nodax PHA is a biopolymer that comes from seed oil ( instead of crude, obviously) and is part of Bacardi’s plane to use only 100% biodegradable vessels by 2023.

The spirits company will introduce the new bottle starting with Bacardi rum, eventually rolling it out across its over 200 brands and labels, which also includes Patron, Grey Goose, Martini, Bombay Sapphire, and Dewars.

In addition to the new PHA bottles, Bacardi is also developing a paper bottle lined with the same Nodax material, as well as a more sustainable bottle cap liner.

“It may sound small, but add that up across every bottle produced globally, and we’re talking many tonnes of plastic every day. Once we’ve fixed the problem, we’ll be open-sourcing the solution for the entire industry to use. This isn’t about competitive advantage. It's about doing the right thing for the planet,” Jean-Marc Lambert, Senior Vice President of Global Operations for Bacardi, said about the plastic liners in a press release.

You can find more details about Bacardi’s sustainability efforts on their website.