ecoSPIRITS Releases Global Carbon Emissions Calculator To Quantify Climate Impact
SINGAPORE 28 October 2021 ecoSPIRITS announced today that it has completed a year-long study to quantify the climate impact of its closed loop spirits technology. The new ecoSPIRITS Carbon Calculator is based on a study performed by Deloitte, a leading global consultancy firm providing sustainability services. The new Calculator allows ecoSPIRITS and its brand partners to compare the carbon emissions footprint of a spirit distributed in ecoTOTE™ format against the same spirit distributed in single use glass for any two paired points of spirit production and consumption on the planet.
Glass itself is not the problem. As a packaging material, glass is durable, endlessly reusable and is inert, outperforming plastic, aluminium and steel in protecting spirit flavours. However, glass is expensive and energy-intensive to produce, yielding an embodied carbon emissions footprint of 550g per bottle on average. Glass is also dense, comprising approximately 50% of the weight of standard bottled spirit and increasing global logistics costs and emissions. As packaging waste, glass’ durability becomes liability, taking more than 10,000 years to break down in the natural environment.
Single use glass bottles in production
Single use glass bottles sorted for recycling
In the current linear economy, the problem lies in the ‘single use’ nature of glass packaging. In 2020 alone, ecoSPIRITS estimates that the world produced 40 billion single use glass spirit bottles, leading to 22 million tons of carbon emissions. Recycling single use glass packaging helps, but it is not a long-term solution to dramatically reducing emissions. Recycling a glass bottle saves only 10-15% of the energy required to produce a new bottle. A recycled glass bottle has a carbon footprint that is just 25 – 40% lower than a new one. To solve the single use waste crises over the long term, the world must transition our economies, and the spirits industry, from single use to reuse.
The problem lies in the ‘single use’ nature of carbon-intensive glass packaging
United Nations Secretary General António Guterres statement on the IPCC 2021 Climate Report 9 August 2021
ecoSPIRITS’ patent-pending system of closed loop technologies eliminates single use glass from the spirits supply chain, offering a proven reduction in the delivered cost of premium spirits, and a transformative reduction in single use waste and carbon footprint. By introducing a fully reusable, engineered glass packaging format, the ecoTOTE™, ecoSPIRITS is able to retain the best features of glass packaging, while eliminating the financial and environmental costs associated with single use of an energy-intensive, costly material.
The ecoSPIRITS closed loop system
The new ecoSPIRITS Carbon Calculator is based on a Comparative Lifecycle Emissions Study performed by Deloitte Singapore in accordance with guidance from the GHG Protocol Initiative and using standard CO2e conversion factors. The study estimates carbon emissions from the principal packaging production and material freight steps implicated in the movement of spirit volumes from their point of distillation to the point of final consumption. Findings from the study were then used to create the global carbon emissions calculator tool, which compares ecoTOTE™ closed loop distribution versus the single use glass comparator. The calculator estimates the total carbon footprint reduction, in both grams of C02e and percentage terms, for any spirit based on any two paired points of origin and consumption in the world.
On average, the ecoSPIRITS Carbon Calculator confirms that ecoSPIRITS’ technology eliminates 60% – 90% of the carbon emissions associated with the packaging and distribution of premium spirits when compared with single use glass comparators. The percentage carbon footprint reduction is a function of supply chain length, and the modes of transport used in transporting the spirit from distillery to end venue. For each spirit brand partner, and location of distribution, ecoSPIRITS will publish a specific carbon footprint reduction figure in both grams of C02e and in %. for the ecoTOTE™ format.
Eve Mignot, Sustainability Manager, ecoSPIRITS
“The launch of the ecoSPIRITS Carbon Calculator gives us a powerful new tool to quantify, report on, and mitigate the sources of carbon emissions in the spirits supply chain,” notes Eve Mignot, ecoSPIRITS Sustainability Manager, “This new tool will help us work even more closely with our brand and distribution partners in measuring the environmental impact of their transition to closed loop packaging. We will also use the calculator to help our partners optimize the way spirits are transported, prioritising lower carbon modes of transport over time.”
The new ecoSPIRITS Carbon Calculator will be used by ecoSPIRITS to quantify the carbon footprint reduction impact of its proprietary technology for all current spirit brand partners, as well as all brands that join its global closed loop network going forward. For each spirit brand partner, and location of distribution, ecoSPIRITS will publish a specific carbon footprint reduction figure in both grams of C02e and in %. for the ecoTOTE™ format.
Tim Etherington-Judge, Co-founder, Avallen
Avallen is one of the world’s first “planet positive spirits”, being Climate Positive, featuring a label made of apple pulp, and having a bee-saving program through 1% for the Planet.
“As Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world”. At Avallen, we want to see a world where climate change stabilises and reverses catastrophic biodiversity loss. The end of single use glass through the revolutionary ecoSPIRITS platform will play a big part in Avallen being a world-leading climate positive brand.”
Spirits Brands & Carbon Emissions: Getting Started
Ben Leggett, Director & Distiller, Elemental Distillers
Roots Dry Gin, created in award-winning distillery built of up-cycled containers, offers a complete transparency of ingredients, processes and production, from root – to cup.
“Elemental Distillers is the embodiment of a belief that we can both deliver creative, premium and award-winning spirits while also operating sustainably through an ongoing collection of sustainable micro-changes and in full transparency of our processes and ingredients.”
John Stirling, Director, Arbikie Distillery
With a pea-base spirit grown without fertilizers and distilled with local botanicals, each bottle of Nàdar removes more CO2 emissions than it creates.
“At Arbikie we’re continuously looking for ways to innovate and reinforce our sustainability focus. For each decision we make, we consider the environmental impact and how we can do things better. We are really encouraged by the CO2e mass reductions of this system and the partnership with ecoSPIRITS is one that excites us all.”
Spirits brands, importers, distributors, wholesalers, and venues interested in joining the ecoSPIRITS global network of closed loop service can get in touch via email at [email protected]. For more information on the ecoSPIRITS Carbon Calculator, please contact [email protected]
About Deloitte
Deloitte provides industry-leading audit and assurance, tax and legal, consulting, financial advisory, and risk advisory services to nearly 90% of the Fortune Global 500® and thousands of private companies. Our more than 345,000 professionals deliver measurable and lasting results that help reinforce public trust in capital markets, enable clients to transform and thrive, and lead the way toward a stronger economy, a more equitable society and a sustainable world. Building on its 175-plus year history, Deloitte spans more than 150 countries and territories. Our organisation has grown tremendously in both scale and capabilities, yet our shared culture and mission—to make an impact that matters—remains unchanged. This is evident not only in Deloitte’s work for clients, but also in our WorldClass ambition, our WorldClimate initiative and our ALL IN diversity and inclusion strategy.
For more information, please visit:
www.deloitte.com/sg
About Avallen Calvados
Avallen is the delicious moment when flavour and sustainability converge! Every bottle of Avallen made removes 2.73kg of CO2e from the atmosphere without external offsetting, protects biodiversity through traditional production methods and supports bee-protecting organisations. Avallen represents a young, fresh and more apple-filled future for spirits, with the health of our planet at its core.
For more information, please visit:
www.avallenspirits.com
About Roots Gin
Roots Gin is a crisp and robust ‘London Dry’ style gin produced on the estate at the Elemental Distillery in the heart of the Marlborough wine region. Roots Gin is made in small batches from individually sourced ingredients and all fully traceable, from root to cup.
For more information, please visit:
www.elementaldistillers.com/roots-dry-gin/
About Nàdar Spirits
Nàdar Gin harnesses the power of nature and science to create this world-first spirit. With a carbon footprint of -1.54 kg CO2e per 700ml bottle, Nàdar Gin is at the forefront of fighting climate change and biodiversity loss, the biggest challenges humankind has ever faced.
For more information, please visit:
www.arbikie.com/nadar-gin
ecoSPIRITS to Launch in Germany, as European Expansion Accelerates
MUNICH 10 October 2021 ecoSPIRITS announced today that it has signed a Licensed Operator Agreement for Germany with InnovativeDrinks, a new spirits import and distribution company founded by spirits industry executive Hans-Knud Reiss. Starting in December 2021, ecoSPIRITS Germany will be the fourth European market to offer closed loop spirits service, following launches in the United Kingdom, France and Norway.
As the Europe’s largest economy, and home to a population of more than 83 million, Germany was a natural choice for ecoSPIRITS continued expansion in the region. An economic engine for the European Union, Germany has also cemented its status as a global leader on the environment over the past three decades. On topics ranging from fossil fuels taxation to the promotion of green infrastructure and sustainable transportation, the German government has regularly set global benchmarks in its policies and actions. ecoSPIRITS Germany’s launch of closed loop spirits packaging technology is in line with the country’s broad commitment to circular economy principles.
The Black Forest, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve
Bar Convent Berlin, one of the world's premier bar shows
Street scene in Munich
Hans-Knud Reiss, Founder, InnovativeDrinks
Founded in early 2021, InnovativeDrinks is led by Reiss, who was the German on-trade sales director for a global spirits major for more than 10 years. After a period in the United States, and inspired by the boom in craft spirits there, Reiss returned to Germany in 2020 with a vision of developing a premium craft spirits distributor focused on upscale gastronomy. The ecoSPIRITS technology will be a cornerstone of InnovativeDrinks’ drive to make independent spirits more widely available and more affordable in the German market.
“We are all experiencing the consequences of climate change.
It is time to question how we do things – and what we can do differently to reduce our CO2 footprint. In their undisputed role as trendsetters and opinion leaders, bartenders and F&B-operators have a special responsibility as a sustainable role model. We at InnovativeDrinks are pleased to be able to offer the HoReCa industry a solution with ecoSPIRITS that almost eliminates the CO2 footprint and packaging waste at the bar. And that without taking anything from the bar experience away from the guest. A perfect drink – without a guilty conscience. What more do you want?”
The launch of ecoSPIRITS Germany will see ecoPLANT No. 022 sited in Karlsruhe, a city in southwestern Germany. To start, spirits in ecoTOTE™ format will be available through select wholesalers and distributors in North Rhine-Westphalia, Hessia, Baden-Wuerttemberg and Bavaria with nationwide distribution rolling out over the course of 2022.
ecoPLANT No. 022 will be located in Karlsruhe, Germany
The ecoPLANT 2.0 is ecoSPIRITS' latest generation technology
The launch of ecoSPIRITS Germany will see new brand partners join the ecoSPIRITS Climate Partner Program. The first locally-produced white spirits available in ecoSPIRITS’ closed loop technology will be Sash & Fritz Vodka, an award-winning German vodka produced from 100% German wheat and spring water from the Ore Mountains, and Wild Child Berlin Dry Gin, a craft German gin made from handpicked juniper berries, Calabrian citrus, bergamot and other botanicals. Stork Club Rye Whiskey, a 100% German rye whisky with a loyal following in the craft bartending community, will become the first rye whiskey in the world to join the ecoSPIRITS network. Sash & Fritz Vodka, Wild Child Berlin Dry Gin and Stork Club Rye Whiskey will remain available through their existing channel partners, but now in the low carbon, low waste ecoTOTE™ format.
Peter Steger, CEO, Sash & Fritz GmbH
“With our two brands, Sash & Fritz German Vodka and Wild Child Berlin Dry Gin, we have always been eager to keep our carbon footprint as low as possible. The well-thought through ecoSPIRITS system is a great opportunity with many positive factors, which we have been aiming at for a long time. For one we can offer our products with more sustainability, secondly this means we can reduce our waste, energy and production costs, subsequently the pricing of our products are more competitive and thirdly not only does this underline our commitment, it raises awareness for our planet and is in line with our growing environmentally conscious customer base.”
Co-founders Bastian Heuser & Steffen Lohr, Stork Club Rye Whiskey
“We at Stork Club are very excited to be the world’s first rye whiskey available in the ecoTOTE format! Our distillery is located in the middle of a nature reserve and our partnership with ecoSPIRITS is the first step in our process of becoming carbon-neutral over the coming years. We love the concept of ecoSPIRITS and believe it can have a huge impact on the hospitality industry reducing waste and the CO2 footprint of spirits.”
Dan Walker, CEO, True Believers
At the same time as the launch of ecoSPIRITS Germany, InnovativeDrinks will take on exclusive distribution of the True Believers portfolio of affordable craft pouring spirits, including Tried & True Straight Wheat Vodka, Widges Gin, Mackintosh Blended Malt Whisky, and Arquitecto Tequila and 100% Agave Spirit.
“As the world emerges from the pandemic, it has become clear that the European region will lead our market expansion for the True Believers portfolio in 2022. With Germany being Europe’s largest spirits market we could not be more excited to be partnering with an experienced industry veteran like Hans-Knud Reiss and his new distribution company Innovative Drinks to pioneer bringing sustainable craft pouring spirits to the market via the ecoSPIRITS distribution technology.”
With a commitment to the environment deeply rooted in German culture, news of ecoSPIRITS Germany has been warmly welcomed by the on-trade community. A number of leading venue partners will join the ecoSPIRITS network as soon as closed loop service is available, including the multi award-winning Spirits Bar in Cologne and longstanding Munich cocktail institution, Zephyr.
Dominique Simon, Owner, Spirits Bar, Cologne
Spirits Bar, Cologne
“Finally a sensible solution that addresses our bottle problem. No guest sees two-thirds of the bottles of our pouring products, as we process them directly in the kitchen. We have been looking for larger containers for these products for a long time and, with ecoSPIRITS, we have the perfect solution, sustainable and practical!“
Lukas Motejzik, Owner, Zephyr Bar, Munich
Zephyr Bar, Munich
“Even when running a small bar like Zephyr, you can see the necessity for a sustainable way of selling spirits. The daily walk to the glass disposal bin with a box full of empty bottles is the perfect reminder. Most of the nice shiny bottles don’t make it into the backbar, they are turned into infusions or premixes anyway. For me, ecoSPIRITS provides a practical solution for any hospitality business. We’re very happy to see their launch in Germany.“
ecoSPIRITS closed loop service will be available in Germany from December 2021. Bars, restaurants, hotels, distributors and brands that are interested in joining the ecoSPIRITS Climate Partner Program in Germany can get in touch via email at [email protected] or [email protected]
About InnovativeDrinks
Established in 2021, InnovativeDrinks is certainly still one of the newcomers on the German market. The founder himself is no stranger to the industry: Hans-Knud Reiss is certainly one of the old hands. The trained hotel specialist headed sales in HoReca & wholesale for a well-known international spirits company for over a decade as Sales Director On trade. After a four-year stay in the USA and inspired by the positive developments in the craft spirits market, he decided to found InnovativeDrinks GmbH, a sales company for premium spirits for upscale restaurants and specialist retailers. The company is based in Karlsruhe, Germany.
For more information, please visit www.innovativedrinks.de
About Sash & Fritz GmbH
Inspired by the royal friendship between Csar Alexander I of Russia (Sash) and King Friedrich III of Prussia (Fritz), Peter Steger founded Sash & Fritz GmbH in 2014 in Berlin. Now seven years later, it is a well-established company with two brands and distribution channels around the globe. Sash & Fritz is German vodka combining Russian tradition with German precision and perfection. Only the best, carefully selected ingredients are processed into top-quality vodka in a carefully thought out manufacturing process. The careful quintuple distillation and gentle quintuple filtration thus guarantee the pure, unique flavour of Sash & Fritz. The result is a multiple worldwide gold award-winning premium vodka. In 2018, Steger created his own gin, Wild Child Berlin Dry Gin. Also having won many gold medals in various international competitions, Wild Child is all about a great gin, with a homage to ‘freedom of mind and spirit’ and with that to the city of Berlin.
For more information, please visit www.sashundfritz.de/en/
About Stork Club Rye Whiskey
Germany’s first rye whiskey distillery was founded in 2016 by Steffen Lohr, Sebastian Brack and Bastian Heuser. The Stork Club distillery is located merely 60km south of Berlin in the middle of a nature reserve. Locally grown German rye, pure water from the nature reserve and the thrive to experiment with Europe’s pristine grain are the ingredients for one of Europe’s most awarded rye whiskeys.
For more information, please visit https://stork-club-whiskey.com
About True Believers
True Believers was conceived as an innovation unit within the Proof & Company group. Its aim is to offer a range of craft spirits that bridges the gap between economical pouring brands, which often fall short in meeting modern consumer preferences for craft credibility, and super premium craft spirits, which are generally priced out of reach for house pouring programs. To date, True Believers has released four spirits brands, including Tried & True Straight Wheat Vodka, Widges London Dry Gin, Arquitecto Blanco Tequila, and Mackintosh Blended Malt Whisky. True Believers brands were developed individually to serve as a versatile archetype of its category, produced with authentic craft values by highly-regarded distillers. The range is price-positioned to be accessible to pouring programs for better bars and available in the ecoSPIRITS low-carbon, low-waste spirits distribution system.
For more information, please visit https://truthinspirits.com/