MIAMI 20 June 2024 Following a successful pilot, ecoSPIRITS is working together with the world’s leading cruise ship operator, Carnival Cruise Line; and leading spirits producer, Bacardi Limited; to bring closed loop spirits packaging on board more ships. The pilot collaboration – which was first announced in August 2023 – saw BACARDÍ Superior rum delivered to three Carnival ships in ecoSPIRITS’ ecoTOTE format, in an effort to reduce single use glass waste in the tourism and hospitality segment. Now, closed loop spirits packaging will be introduced to an additional ship operating out of the Port of Miami, Florida. ecoSPIRITS is also collaborating with Carnival to develop new extensions to its core technology to support high volume cruise beverage operations.
The rum is transferred from ecoTOTE to serving format using ecoSPIRITS’ SmartPour technology.
The plan to introduce closed loop spirits packaging to cruise ships for the first time via a partnership between ecoSPIRITS, Carnival and Bacardi saw BACARDÍ Superior – one of the most-ordered spirits across Carnival’s fleet – delivered in ecoTOTE™ format to three of the company’s ships, Carnival Celebration, Carnival Horizon and Carnival Sunrise, operating out of the Port of Miami, Florida. A fourth Miami-based ship, Carnival Magic, will implement the program, with more vessels from other cruise ports in the United States expected to join later in 2024.
The three companies have already saved tens of thousands of single use glass bottles from being produced.
During the pilot phase, which ran from late August 2023 through to the end of March 2024, the three companies saved tens of thousands of single use glass bottles from being produced. In total, the pilot eliminated more than 38,000 pounds of packaging waste, while also funding the recovery of more than 6,000 pounds of ocean waste from endangered marine environments as part of the ecoSPIRITS Oceans Program. Delivering Carnival’s most popular onboard rum in ecoTOTE format eliminated 95% of the packaging waste when compared with traditional glass bottles. The system also represents a more efficient way of delivering spirits to the cruise ships, saving both weight and space onboard.
A fourth Miami-based ship, Carnival Magic, will introduce BACARDÍ Superior in closed loop spirits packaging.
To support expanded deployment of its circular packaging technology in the cruise environment, ecoSPIRITS has developed a new version of its SmartPour technology, tailored to the specific demands of onboard beverage operations. The new SmartPour™ SHV 1.0S is a bottle refilling unit developed in consultation with Carnival and Bacardi to make back-of-house operations even more efficient. This latest SmartPour can refill spirits bottles faster than the SmartPour 2.0S refilling solutions deployed during the pilot collaboration. The SmartPour SHV 1.0S joins the ecoTOTE 3.0SC, a special version of the award-winning ecoTOTE, which was also developed in consultation with Carnival to meet the unique requirements of the onboard beverage operations.
Like the ecoTOTE 3.0SC, the SmartPour SHV 1.0S was developed to meet the specific demands of onboard beverage operations.
Zachary Sulkes, Associate Vice President of Beverage Operations, Carnival Cruise Line
“Our collaboration with Bacardi and ecoSPIRITS is making a clear, significant impact on Carnival Celebration, Carnival Horizon and Carnival Sunrise. The ecoTOTE format has helped us serve the delicious cocktails our bar staff craft with BACARDÍ Superior that our guests love – without about 35,000 glass bottles that would have otherwise been used for transportation to our ships’ bars and then processed in our onboard recycling centers. As we continue to expand this innovative program, we are setting a new standard for beverage operations across the cruise industry and reinforcing our shared commitment to the environment.”
Zdenek Kastanek, Managing Director, ecoSPIRITS USA
“The cruise line sector has been on our radar in terms of waste saving potential for several years. It is even more exciting to see ecoSPIRITS, Carnival Cruise Line and Bacardi clearly showing that circular is the way forward for spirits in this industry. We are delighted that Carnival is now expanding the use of ecoSPIRITS, taking BACARDÍ Superior in ecoTOTE format to a wider fleet within the Miami hub and adding other Florida ports later this year. Ultimately this shared success means ecoSPIRITS is now an option for a wider audience as we work towards eliminating single use glass waste in this sector globally.”
For media inquiries or general information on ecoSPIRITS, you may contact Sonya Hook, Head of Communications at [email protected].
About Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival Cruise Line, part of Carnival Corporation & pls (NYSE/LSE: CCL;NYSE: CUK), is the first cruise line to sail over 100 million guests and is proud to be known as America’s Cruise Line, for carrying more Americans and serving more U.S, homeports that any other. For over 50 years, Carnival has continually revolutionized the cruise industry and popularized the cruise vacation as an affordable and fun travel option. Carnival operates from 14 U.S. and two Australian homeports and employs more than 40,000 team members representing 120 nationalities. Carnival currently operates 25 ships and is in an exciting period of growth with the addition of two ships over the next two years.
For more information visitwww.carnival.com and for more about Carnival’s sustainability goals, visit: www.carnivalsustainability.com
About ecoSPIRITS
ecoSPIRITS is a circular economy technology company that has developed the world’s first low carbon, low waste distribution technology for premium spirits and wine. Our patent-pending closed loop system nearly eliminates all packaging waste in the supply chain. By dramatically reducing packaging and transport, ecoSPIRITS provides a transformative carbon footprint reduction. Founded in Singapore in 2018, the ecoSPIRITS technology is now available in more than 27 countries across Asia Pacific, Europe and the Americas. Nearly 3,000 leading bars, restaurants, hotels and retailers have adopted the technology, including Michelin-starred restaurants, World’s 50 Best and Asia’s 50 Best bars and iconic hotels. ecoSPIRITS is now rapidly building a global network of closed loop service, with coverage to grow further by the end of 2024. Together with our brand partners, importers, distributors, wholesalers, venues, and retailers, we are already making a difference. Each year, ecoSPIRITS and our partners are eliminating hundreds of tons of single use glass waste, planting tens of thousands of trees, and inspiring others to change.
Visit www.ecospirits.global and follow us on Instagram for more.