MIAMI 31 August 2023 In a global first, ecoSPIRITS has partnered with Carnival Cruise Line and Bacardi to launch closed loop spirits packaging for cruise ships operating out of the Port of Miami, Florida. The collaboration brings together the world’s leading cruise line operator together with one of the world’s leading spirits producers in an effort to reduce single use glass waste in the all-important tourism and hospitality segment. To support the collaboration, ecoSPIRITS has developed a specialised 4.5L ecoTOTE™ version, the ecoTOTE 3.0SC Cruise Edition, specifically for the maritime environment. The new collaboration will initially run on a pilot basis for three months – starting this month with three Carnival ships – and with the intent to roll out to further ships in late 2023.

The new ecoTOTE 3.0SC Cruise Edition & SmartPour 2.0S BACARDÍ Edition.

This collaboration aims to showcase a more efficient way to deliver spirits to the cruise industry. Carnival Cruise Line is part of the world’s largest cruise ship operator, the Carnival Corporation, and it has a fleet of 25 ships carrying out voyages lasting between two and 31 days. For this collaboration, Carnival’s house pour rum, BACARDÍ® Superior – one of the most-ordered spirits across Carnival’s fleet – will be delivered in ecoTOTE format to three of Carnival’s ships: Celebration, Horizon and Sunrise. Each of these vessels has a capacity of up to 6,338 passengers and 1,450 crew members. The largest is Carnival Celebration, which has 16 dining areas and several bars, including the RedFrog Pub and its sister venue, the RedFrog Rum Bar, where BACARDÍ rums feature prominently.

BACARDÍ® Superior rum is one of the most ordered spirits in Carnival’s bars.

For Carnival the collaboration with ecoSPIRITS and Bacardi also represents another step towards its ambitious sustainability goals. By 2050 the company aims to ensure near 100% reuse of packaging materials throughout its operations. Carnival already recycles many of its single-use glass items and each ship in the fleet is outfitted with a recycling center, where crew members sort paper, plastic and glass recyclables. Last year, Carnival processed more than 11 million pounds of recyclables. By switching to ecoTOTE format, the Carnival ships will eliminate 95% of the single use packaging waste associated with their house pour rum, dramatically reducing the carbon footprint per spirits serve and saving weight and space onboard. Within this pilot phase, approximately 9,400 bottles will be replaced by the ecoSPIRITS packaging system.

Carnival Celebration is one of the first ships to trial circular packaging technology for spirits.

Zachary Sulkes, Senior Director of Beverage Operations at Carnival Cruise Line

“As we continue to work towards our sustainability goals, the collaborative work of our beverage team, ecoSPIRITS and Bacardi is a great example of thinking in ways that are truly out-of-the-box, or in this case – out-of-the-bottle, to develop new partnerships and practices that further our ongoing efforts.”

Bacardi Limited is the world’s largest privately-held spirits company with a history dating back more than 160 years. The company has been family-owned for seven generations and its brands are sold in more than 160 markets. Its eponymous rum brand, BACARDÍ – which ranks within in the top ten global spirits brands by value – will be the first to be available in the ecoSPIRITS circular packaging technology onboard cruise ships, marking a milestone in the industry’s transition to circular spirits. The collaboration between Bacardi and ecoSPIRITS will not only dramatically transform the way spirits are transported and stored for cruise ship environments, but it also marks the company’s first deployment with ecoSPIRITS globally and the first time its iconic rum is available in a reusable packaging format.

The SmartPour 2.0S BACARDÍ® Edition features striking colours and branding.

The partnership with ecoSPIRITS and Carnival comes as Bacardi continues to seek out all opportunities to reduce packaging waste across its portfolio, which includes BACARDÍ Superior rum, GREY GOOSE® vodka, PATRÓN® tequila, MARTINI® vermouth and DEWAR’S® Blended Scotch whisky. The company is on track to achieve its target of removing all plastic from its secondary packaging and point of sale materials by the end of 2023, and last year made the pioneering move to remove the plastic pourer from its bottles in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, Spain and Portugal.

Rodolfo Nervi, VP Global Safety, Quality & Sustainability for Bacardi

“We are continuously looking for opportunities to deliver our beautiful drinks in more sustainable packaging and formats, helping us to build a greener future. Innovating in closed loop packaging has been a top priority for us for a number of years, so launching our very first ecoTOTE for BACARDÍ rum on a Carnival cruise ship and seeing the doors this trial will open, is an incredibly exciting step forwards in that journey.”

In preparation for the cruise industry launch, ecoSPIRITS worked with Carnival and Bacardi to develop a new ecoTOTE version that is specially designed for unique demands of the onboard, and on water, environment. The new ecoTOTE 3.0SC features enhanced corrosion resistance through black aluminium anodising, as well as other modifications to improve hygiene and durability in the maritime environment. The ecoTOTE 3.0SC is compliant with the United States Public Health hygiene regulations, which are considered a gold standard in the global cruise industry. This latest ecoTOTE release builds on earlier releases of an ecoTOTE 3.0S 1.75L version for the US domestic market and an ecoTOTE 3.0W 4.5L version designed specifically for wine storage and preservation. The rum will be transferred from ecoTOTE to serving format using ecoSPIRITS’ SmartPour technology. New silver and red BACARDÍ -branded SmartPours will be placed in select bars on the three ships for beverage team members to serve cocktails made with BACARDÍ Superior rum.

The ecoTOTE 3.0SC Cruise Edition includes upgrades designed specifically for the maritime environment.

Zdenek Kastanek, Managing Director, ecoSPIRITS USA

“We are extremely proud to be working with both Carnival and Bacardi on this industry first for the cruise sector. Working with forward-thinking partners like this strengthens our collective focus on sustainable practices and our shared goal to eventually eliminate packaging waste across the industry. We could not be more delighted to be welcoming BACARDÍ® to our portfolio of Climate Partners and, by launching in ecoTOTE format for the first time on board Carnival’s ships, it will send a clear message to the industry that circular packaging is the most sustainable solution for the cruise industry.”

The new collaboration with Bacardi and Carnival will also support the ecoSPIRITS Oceans Program. For each cycle of  BACARDÍ® Superior ecoTOTE delivered to Carnival vessels as part of the pilot, the parties will make a donation to fund the removal of more than two pounds of single use plastic, glass and other man-made wastes removed from endangered marine environments.

The ecoSPIRITS Oceans Program funds the removal of waste from beaches and marine environments.

For more information about Carnival Cruise Line, you may contact [email protected]. For more information about Bacardi Limited, you may contact Erika Lam, Brand PR Director, BACARDÍ Rum on [email protected]. For more information about ecoSPIRITS you may contact Senior PR Manager, Sonya Hook on [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 than 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 visit www.carnival.com and for more about Carnival’s sustainability goals, visit: www.carnivalsustainability.com.

About Bacardi Limited

Bacardi Limited, the world’s largest privately held international spirits company, produces, markets and distributes internationally recognized spirits and wines. The Bacardi Limited portfolio comprises more than 200 brands and labels, including BACARDI® rum, PATRON tequila, GREY GOOSE vodka, DEWAR’S Blended Scotch whisky, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE gin, MARTINI vermouth and sparkling wines, CAZADORES 100% blue agave tequila, and other leading and emerging brands including WILLIAM LAWSON’S Scotch whisky, D’USSE Cognac, ANGEL’S ENVY American straight whiskey, and ST-GERMAIN elderflower liqueur. Founded more than 161 years ago in Santiago de Cuba, family-owned Bacardi Limited currently employs approximately 9,000, operates production facilities in 11 countries and territories, and sells its brands in more than 160 markets. Bacardi Limited refers to the Bacardi group of companies, including Bacardi International Limited.

Visit www.bacardilimited.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram or Twitter. To find out more about Bacardi and its ESG – Environmental, Social & Governance – commitments, including its alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, visit www.bacardilimited.com/good-spirited.

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 21 countries across Asia Pacific, Europe and the Americas, where almost 2,000 leading bars, restaurants, hotels and retailers have adopted the technology. ecoSPIRITS is now rapidly building a global network of closed loop service, with coverage to grow to 27 countries worldwide by late 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 www.ecospirits.global.

About the ecoSPIRITS Ocean Program

The ecoSPIRITS Oceans Program complements the ecoSPIRITS Forest Program for island nations that are most at risk from rising sea levels due to climate change. Highlighted by the striking blue Ocean Conservation Edition ecoTOTE, each order of an ecoTOTE by venue partners in participating islands nations funds the removal of one kilogram of single use plastic, glass and other man-made wastes from endangered, coral reefs and waters. Using Green Steps Group’s proprietary “proof of impact” technology platform, cleanup operations are verified, monitored and reported through an industry-leading digital record. Ocean waste recovery benefits the venue partners, but is jointly funded by ecoSPIRITS and our Climate Partner brands and distributors.

For more information on Green Steps Group, please visit www.greenstepsgroup.com.