Bacardi has recently opened a new combined heat and power (CHP) system in Puerto Rico, which will halve the greenhouse gas emissions of its Bacardi rum brand.
The new CHP system replaces heavy fuel oil with propane gas and will generate 100 per cent of the energy for the campus, including the distillery, offices, and Casa Bacardi visitor centre. The shift to propane gas at the Bacardi rum campus is a step towards the brand’s goal to halve greenhouse gas emissions across the entire company by 2025.
Edwin Zayas, Vice President of Operations for Bacardi Corporation in Puerto Rico reaffirmed the company’s commitment to its 2025 goal.
“At Bacardi, we are committed to cutting our greenhouse gas emissions by reducing our energy consumption and switching to the most sustainable form of energy where we make our beloved brands. We are continuously exploring ways in which we can take more positive steps towards our ultimate goal of Net Zero across our sites,” Zayas said.
“We are proud of the work we are doing in Puerto Rico, and across the globe, to be greener and cleaner with our energy,” he added.
The Bacardi rum distillery is taking other sustainable steps, such as creating biogas by cleaning waste water, which currently produces more than 60 per cent of the distillery’s energy, recapturing heat produced by the distilling process, and developing CO2 capture systems. For its 161st anniversary, Bacardi will plant 161 coconut trees in Puerto Rico, helping to regenerate a nearby beach that has suffered extensive hurricane damage.
Bacardi is also planting and nurturing pollinator gardens to support local wildlife in Puerto Rico, for which the distillery has received conservation certification from the Wildlife Habitat Council.
Magaly Feliciano, Global Sustainability Director for Bacardi, spoke to the importance of sustainability for the company.
“As a family-owned company, we take great responsibility in protecting the legacy of generations to come. The work we are doing today will help build a more sustainable future for our people and the planet,” Feliciano said.
Alongside the 2025 goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions across production sites by 50 per cent, and its commitment to being plastic free by 2030, Bacardi has a number of other sustainability goals under its Corporate Responsibility program, Good Spirited. These goals include cutting water consumption by 25 per cent, using 100 per cent sustainably sourced raw materials, using 100 per cent recyclable packaging with 40 per cent recycled content, and reaching zero landfill waste for all Bacardi sites.