ZANZIBAR 28 December 2023 ecoSPIRITS has extended its partnership with eco-tech sustainability and nature-based solutions pioneer, Green Steps Group, to expand the ecoSPIRITS Oceans Program. This initiative, which was first announced in July 2021, is aimed at island nations most at risk from rising sea levels due to climate change. Venues in these island nations are now taking delivery of spirits in special blue Ocean Conservation Edition ecoTOTE™ 3.0S. The ecoSPIRITS Oceans Program complements the ecoSPIRITS Forest Program, first introduced in May 2020 to further offset the carbon impact of beverage operations at leading hotels, bars, and restaurants across the world. The impact programs allow ecoSPIRITS and its partner venues, spirit brands and distributors to deepen their commitment to sustainability and positive environmental impact for the beverage industry.
Several brands are being deployed in blue Ocean Conservation Edition ecoTOTEs including: Lazy Dodo Rum (Mauritius); Candela Mamajuana (Dominican Republic); Goslings (Bermuda); FAIR Kumquat Liqueur (Cayman Islands); and Takamaka Rum (Seychelles).
Each order of an ecoTOTE placed by venue partners in participating island nations funds the removal of one kilogram of single use plastic, glass, and other man-made waste from endangered marine environments. The Oceans Program – complemented by the striking blue Ocean Conservation Edition ecoTOTE – has been established to draw attention to ocean pollution and the impact that CO2 emissions are having on sea levels, and the severe threat these issues pose to human and animal life on island nations worldwide. Using Green Steps Group’s proprietary “proof of impact” technology platform, recovered ocean waste is photographed, weighed, and logged for each venue with real-time map visibility.
Ocean waste is photographed, weighed and logged for each venue.
Green Steps Group’s climate-tech platform helps ecoSPIRITS and its partner brands and venues assess their environmental impact. The unique online platform verifies that each and every tree is planted and that every kilogram of plastic recovered from the ocean is measured and tracked. The system displays impact information in geo-tagged map format, allowing venues to share their impact progress with their target audiences. As part of the partnership, Green Steps Group has created customised ‘Impact Dashboards’ for the two ecoSPIRITS impact programs.
Green Steps Group’s unique eco-tech platform includes a geo-tagged, map-based display interface.
The ecoSPIRITS Oceans Program’s beach cleanups currently take place in Zanzibar, an island archipelago off the coast of Tanzania in East Africa. Working with local village cooperatives, the ecoSPIRITS Oceans Program offers meaningful employment opportunities to residents of low-income areas, creating social uplift and environmental regeneration. Through regular clean-up initiatives, the local community benefits from consistent remuneration and training on conservatorship of natural resources. The program may be extended to include other clean-up locations soon.
The ecoSPIRITS Oceans Program offers employment opportunities to local communities.
Bermuda was the first island nation to participate in the Program.
Roy Fellowes, Founder of Bermuda Gin Co
“We would like to thank the many Bermuda hospitality venues who embraced the ecoSPIRITS mission to eliminate single use glass bottles and are now receiving spirits in the beautiful blue Ocean Conservation Edition ecoTOTEs. Together we are reducing carbon emissions and packaging waste in the distribution of spirits and removing plastic, glass and other man-made waste from ocean waters. A sincere thanks also to Goslings, who agreed to put their delicious rums into the circular ecoTOTE format and work with us on ecoSPIRITS Bermuda operations.”
Other ecoSPIRITS island markets now taking deployment of Ocean Conservation Edition ecoTOTEs now include the Seychelles, the Dominican Republic, the Cayman Islands, and Mauritius. These island nations are also at risk from rising sea levels and climate change, with some now emerging as world leaders in protecting land and waters for threatened species. The Seychelles, for example, has now designated 42% of its territory for conservation. In total, venues in these island nations that are part of the ecoSPIRITS Oceans Program have helped with the recovery of more than 7,000 kg of ocean waste to date.
The Oceans Program helps to regenerate endangered marine ecosystems.
ecoSPIRITS recently joined forces with Bacardi Limited and Carnival Cruise Line in a partnership to deploy Ocean Conservation Edition ecoTOTEs containing Carnival’s house pour rum (BACARDÍ Superior rum) to three of Carnival’s ships operating from the Port of Miami in Florida. As part of this pilot collaboration, the partners are funding the ecoSPIRITS Oceans Program to remove one kilogram of waste for every ecoTOTE of Bacardi Superior Rum delivered to Carnival Cruise Line vessels.
Three Carnival Cruise Line ships are taking BACARDÍ Superior rum in Ocean Conservation Edition ecoTOTEs.
Guy Cawood, Founder, Green Steps Group
“It is a privilege to be a partner of ecoSPIRITS in their circular journey and creating positively regenerative products. Whether it be through creating positive environmental impact through recovering ocean-bound waste or recovering directly from the ocean, we seek action in the right areas and support the local communities while regenerating our amazing beaches and diverse marine life.”
Sui Ling Cheah, Executive Board Chair, ecoSPIRITS
Sui Ling Cheah, Executive Board Chair, ecoSPIRITS, said: “The ecoSPIRITS Oceans Program offers something different for our island markets, many of which are seeing the immediate impact of rising sea levels and have a particular focus on the protection of marine environments. We are grateful to Green Steps Group for helping create the ecoSPIRITS Oceans Program, so that we can jointly help venues with their ocean conservation efforts. The two ecoSPIRITS impact programs remain very popular with our brands, distributors, and venue partners.”
ecoSPIRITS offers its Climate Partners two impact programs: the ecoSPIRITS Oceans Program and the ecoSPIRITS Forest Program. The latter was set up to help ecoSPIRITS’ partner venues generate additional carbon mitigation beyond the substantial carbon footprint reduction from their use of low-waste, low-carbon spirits. Under the ecoSPIRITS Forest Program, one tree is planted for each cycle of an ecoTOTE through the ecoSPIRITS closed loop distribution platform. Every tree planted is geo-tagged and photographed in the name of the partner venue. Since the program’s launch in 2020, more than 44,000 trees have been planted, effectively mitigating more than 97,000 kg of CO2e annually in carbon emissions. This collaborative effort has also created 12,947 hours of community engagement, with 47% of engagement and employment opportunities going to female workers.
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About Green Steps Group
Green Steps Group is a global eco-tech sustainability pioneer on a mission to rewild the planet. We empower businesses and institutions with management, governance, verification, and visibility to integrate positive environmental impact into their products and services. We verify, integrate and amplify bespoke nature-based solutions, using our unique proprietary technology with proof of impact, geotagging, and real-time map visibility. Every tree counts, so we count every tree. Our advanced eco-tech platform verifies that each and every tree is planted. Whether it is tracking the planting of individual trees in reforestation projects or monitoring ocean waste recovery projects at a kilogram-by-kilogram level, we integrate sustainability into your company’s DNA and verify your CO2 offset and its impact. We showcase your environmental impact, community upliftment, and biodiversity regeneration aligning with the UN’s sustainable development goals for 2030. We transform data into powerful stories with compelling visuals for your brand’s communication and marketing. Immerse in our tech-enabled impact solutions, unveiling the climate-conscious Reforestation/Ocean and River Waste Recovery Programmes and empower clients in this transformative journey where impact is verified, visible, tangible and immediate. Passionate about building a future, Green Steps offers innovative solutions that drive real change.
For more information on Green Steps Group, please visit www.greenstepsgroup.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 both a powerful cost advantage and a transformative carbon footprint reduction. Founded in Singapore in 2018, the ecoSPIRITS technology is now available in more than 23 countries across Asia Pacific, Europe and the Americas. More than 2,000 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 to 27 countries worldwide by early 2023. 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.
For more information, visit: https://ecospirits.global.