May2022


Date started with ecoSPIRITS

4,400kg*


Packaging waste, eliminated

4,000kg*


CO2e, avoided

1,100*


Total number of trees planted

May2022


Date started with ecoSPIRITS


4,400kg*


Packaging waste, eliminated


4,000kg*


CO2e, avoided


1,100*


Total number of trees planted

*Approximate figures, calculated for the period since launch (May 2022) to March 2024. 

Venues taking ecoTOTEs


Brands taken in ecoTOTE format

In early 2022, the UK-based Hyde & Co Group partnered with ecoSPIRITS to take two spirit brands in ecoTOTE™ format. In the first six months Hyde estimates that by switching to ecoSPIRITS’ closed loop packaging system it prevented the production of 2,835 glass bottles. Now, two years on, the company takes delivery of 12 low waste spirits across its entire estate, with one site – the Bristol-based Milk Thistle – taking all 12, which is the largest selection of brands in ecoTOTE format within a single venue in the UK.

The company was founded in 2010 when Nathan Lee, Jason Mead, and Kevin Stokes opened Bristol’s first Prohibition-style cocktail bar, Hyde & Co. Over the years, the group expanded across the Southwest of England and now comprises several bars and restaurants of various cuisines and themes.

Music and cocktail venue, The Raven, takes several spirits in ecoTOTE format.

Hyde & Co’s Group Beverage Manager, Dan Bovey, explains how the company’s relationship with ecoSPIRITS began. He says: “When we first heard about ecoSPIRITS we tried two ecoTOTE brands and decided they were superior to what we were pouring already on our speed rails so, with the added sustainability message, it just made sense to take them. The technology was easy to get used to, and our bartenders found the concept similar to the way kegs are used for beer. We started with two spirits brands in one venue, then extended this with more and more brands and venues, effectively switching out the house pour spirits for each category, allowing me to align the speed rails across the company.”

Hyde & Co Group works with a hospitality wholesaler called Re-Stock, which uses low emission electric vans, while also optimising the supply chain by consolidating deliveries into a single trip. Empty ecoTOTEs are collected on the same journey which, Bovey says, “has really cleaned up the whole delivery eco-system”. The switch to ecoTOTEs has been especially beneficial for busier sites such as Bambalan, where the number of spirits deliveries and glass recycling collections have been dramatically reduced. High-volume venues like Bambalan and The Milk Thistle have also benefited from using the ecoSPIRITS’ pour spout to streamline cocktail preparations, while other sites use the SmartPour™ system for dispensing spirits directly into bottles, cocktail shakers or serving vessels. 

Some sites favour the SmartPour 1.1S while others use a pour spout to maximise efficiency when pre-batching cocktails. 

The company actively communicates its commitment to sustainability and staff are trained to talk to guests about how the ecoSPIRITS partnership has played a part in this. One example is the group’s work with the ecoSPIRITS Forest Program, whereby one tree is planted for every cycle of an ecoTOTE, further reducing carbon emissions. In the first two years with ecoSPIRITS, more than 1,100 trees were planted in the group’s forest, resulting in an additional 26,000kg CO2e avoided, on top of the 4,500kg CO2e avoided through the company’s use of the ecoSPIRITS circular packaging technology. Hyde’s sustainability activity is communicated to consumers via its website, social media, in-house sustainability events and on menus in each venue; an approach which often prompts consumers to try new, perhaps less familiar brands, according to Bovey.

Hyde & Co is proud of its sustainability activity and its relationship with ecoSPIRITS.

The partnership with ecoSPIRITS has helped the company on its journey towards becoming a more sustainable business, while also inspiring a more mindful approach in other areas. Bovey says: “We used to get through up to 40 to 60 glass bottles per prep session in some venues, whereas now we use just a few ecoTOTEs.” Hyde now takes other drinks in higher volume formats to minimise single use packaging waste, while its venues stock beer by local brewer, Lost & Grounded, to reduce the delivery distance. Looking ahead, Bovey says he will continue to look at ways to streamline the company’s beverage operations. He says: “To be honest, if more brands become available in ecoTOTE format in the UK, we will definitely consider stocking these.”