Pernod Ricard and ecoSPIRITS have announced a five-year global licensing agreement to distribute Pernod Ricard’s spirits brands in ecoSPIRITS’ circular packaging technology to on-trade venues.

This collaboration, which builds on the learnings of a pilot in Singapore in late 2022 and aims to further promote circularity in the spirits industry, a core priority of Pernod Ricard’s 2030 Sustainability and Responsibility roadmap, ‘Good Times from a Good Place’. 

With ecoSPIRITS, the products are transported in bulk and delivered to hospitality venues in a fully reusable 4.5-litre glass ecoTOTE™ container, thus reducing waste and carbon emissions resulting from the production and transportation of bottles and other secondary packaging. 

The relationship between the two companies began with a pilot programme in Singapore where Pernod Ricard deployed ecoSPIRITS’ closed-loop packaging technology with several of its iconic brands.

This pilot was instrumental in identifying the practical challenges and opportunities of circular distribution, providing Pernod Ricard with invaluable insights into operational, technological, and sustainability aspects critical for scaling up circular packaging solutions.

The pilot in Singapore was then followed by a first local market deployment under the new global agreement, with the introduction of a closed-loop system for Havana Club rum in the brand’s home market of Cuba.

The new system has been consolidated at an industrial level, with a dedicated ecoPLANT™ at Havana Club’s distillery in San José de las Lajas. The initiative in Cuba anticipates concrete outcomes, including reduced bottle imports and glass waste, which will translate into an 88 per cent reduction of the carbon emissions footprint related to premium spirits packaging and distribution and a reduction of glass waste by 99 per cent.

For Maria Pia De Caro, EVP Integrated Operations and Sustainability at Pernod Ricard, “This next step in our partnership with ecoSPIRITS reflects our belief in the transformative power of this solution to enhance operational efficiency and reduce not only our environmental footprint, but the impact of our industry at large. We are excited to continue working together to refine, scale and champion ecoSPIRITS as the future of wine and spirits distribution.”

As part of the original pilot project, three of Pernod Ricard’s spirits brands – Beefeater London Dry gin, Havana Club rum and Absolut vodka – were successfully deployed in ecoTOTE™ format and dispensed in venues using co-branded SmartPour™ technology.

These brands will now be introduced to new markets under the new global agreement, with additional brands from the Group’s portfolio to be added over time. Pernod Ricard’s partnership with ecoSPIRITS is aligned with the Group’s Sustainability & Responsibility roadmap, which includes a ‘Circular Making’ pillar, encouraging circularity at every step of production and distribution. 

Paul Gabie, CEO of ecoSPIRITS, said: “Pernod Ricard and ecoSPIRITS have been working together for almost three years now to make circularity a reality in the spirits industry. This new global agreement builds on that journey, and our combined expertise, to bring circular packaging to more Pernod Ricard markets around the world. We are inspired by Pernod Ricard’s commitment to Circular Making and look forward to working even more closely with their brands and market teams.”