Bacardi awarded Carbon Trust Standard in the UK
September 22, 2011
Hamilton, Bermuda, September 22, 2011 — Bacardi Limited, the largest privately held spirits company in the world, is proud to announce its United Kingdom operations have been awarded the Carbon Trust Standard after taking action to measure, manage and reduce its carbon footprint by nearly 13 percent over three years. The collective amount of savings totals more than 4,400 tons of CO2, equivalent to the emissions from taking 1,128 UK cars off the road per year . The global operations of Bacardi reduced carbon emissions by nearly 18 percent during the same time period.
The UK operations of Bacardi, which include Bacardi Martini Limited (trading as Bacardi Brown-Forman Brands) and all operations of John Dewar & Sons Limited, remain committed to minimizing the emissions of gases that are believed to contribute to the “greenhouse” layer around the earth.
The Carbon Trust Standard is a mark of excellence that recognizes companies for actionable carbon reduction. Based on a rigorous, independent assessment, it certifies that organizations have measured, managed and reduced their carbon emissions across their own operations and are committed to reduce them year over year. Companies have to reapply every two years to stay Carbon Trust Standard certified. “Achieving the Carbon Trust Standard in the UK further demonstrates how seriously we take our environmental responsibilities, and underlines the effectiveness of our rigorous efforts to reduce carbon emissions on both a regional and global scale. This shows we are at the forefront when it comes to carbon management best practices,” said Jon Grey, senior vice president of Global Operations with Bacardi. “This certification reinforces our commitment to be a leader in corporate responsibility in the spirits industry and showcases our environmental credentials. Bacardi is in constant pursuit of greater benefits for our consumers, customers, employees and the environment and we continually look for ways to build trust in our brands.” Carbon Trust Standard General Manager Harry Morrison added, “We congratulate Bacardi’s UK operations on their achievement of the Carbon Trust Standard. Today, being a good carbon citizen isn’t just about looking good on paper. Achieving the Carbon Trust Standard gives Bacardi the true emissions data they need to build the appropriate carbon reduction strategies and set the right path in the UK.”
Initiatives which helped improve carbon efficiencies at the Bacardi offices and facilities in the UK included:
Created the “kill-a-watt” toolkit, a proprietary and Bacardi-customized energy savings six-step program, to provide sites and offices with the skills and ideas to measure energy usage, share best practices to reduce energy consumption and find ways to save energy
Utilized a system to recycle heat within the distillation process more efficiently that reduces the energy input required and the amount of natural gas burned per unit of output at the Royal Brackla and Aberfeldy whisky distilleries in Scotland
Modified still house operational procedures and installed a high efficiency boiler at the Macduff Whisky Distillery in Scotland
Executed employee awareness campaigns on the importance of saving energy in all of the John Dewar & Sons whisky manufacturing sites
Added four hybrid petrol/electric cars to the vehicle fleet at the Bacardi Martini Limited site in Winchester
Bacardi, through its John Dewar & Sons Ltd. subsidiary, employs 270 people at seven locations throughout Scotland and operates whisky distilleries in Aberfeldy, Macduff, Aultmore, Craigellachie and Royal Brackla with blending, bottling and packaging facilities in Glasgow and maturation facilities in Glasgow and Poniel. The Aberfeldy distillery is also home to the DEWAR’S® World of Whisky, hailed as “the ultimate Scotch whisky visitor centre.” Bacardi-Martini Limited in Winchester houses 270 employees in the Bacardi Brown-Forman House.
Bacardi is committed to managing the social and environmental impacts of its business and is a member of various sustainability-focused organizations including: the Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER) for stewardship and continuous improvement in industry practices and in the areas of water conservation and resource protection, energy efficiency and climate change mitigation; the United Nation Global Compact to encourage businesses worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies and to report on their implementation; and Bonsucro (formerly known as the Better Sugarcane Initiative) to develop a sustainability standard and certification system with the aim to reduce the environmental and social impacts of sugarcane.
To learn more about Corporate Responsibility best practices at Bacardi, please visit www.bacardilimited.com/ESG.
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About the Carbon Trust
The Carbon Trust is a not-for-profit company with the mission to accelerate the move to a low carbon economy, providing specialist support to business and the public sector to help cut carbon emissions, save energy and commercialize low carbon technologies. By stimulating low carbon action we contribute to key UK goals of lower carbon emissions, the development of low carbon businesses, increased energy security and associated jobs. We help to cut carbon emissions now by providing specialist advice and finance to help organizations cut carbon and setting standards for carbon reduction. We reduce potential future carbon emissions by opening markets for low carbon technologies, leading industry collaborations to commercialize technologies, and investing in early stage low carbon companies.
More than 500 organizations have achieved the Carbon Trust Standard since it was launched in June 2008. Collectively, the 500+ Carbon Trust Standard holders have cut their emissions by 3.6m tons of CO2e, as well as cutting their gas, electricity and fuel bills by over £165m. To date, the total carbon footprint certified by the Carbon Trust Standard is over 43 million tons of CO2e; equivalent to nearly 18% of the total carbon footprint of UK businesses and transport. All businesses and organizations, both in the UK and internationally, are eligible to apply for the Carbon Trust Standard including FTSEs, mid caps, SMEs and public sector organizations. Organizations that are awarded the Carbon Trust Standard hold it for a two year period and to maintain the certification they must reapply and demonstrate that they have continued to make year-on-year reductions in their carbon emissions.
About Bacardi Limited
Bacardi Limited is the largest privately held spirits company in the world and produces and markets a variety of internationally-recognized spirits and wines. The Bacardi Limited brand portfolio consists of more than 200 brands and labels, including some of the world’s favorite and best-known products: BACARDI® rum, the world’s favorite and best-selling premium rum as well as the world’s most awarded rum; GREY GOOSE® vodka, the world-leader in super premium vodka; DEWAR’S® Blended Scotch whisky, the number-one selling blended Scotch whisky in the United States; BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® gin, the top-valued and fastest-growing premium gin in the world; MARTINI® vermouth and sparkling wines, the world-leader in vermouth; CAZADORES® 100% blue agave tequila, the number-one premium tequila in Mexico and a top-selling premium tequila in the United States; and other leading and emerging brands.
Family-owned Bacardi was founded in Santiago de Cuba, February 4, 1862, and currently employs more than 6,000 people, manufactures its brands at 27 facilities in 16 countries on four continents, and sells in more than 100 markets globally. Bacardi Limited refers to the Bacardi group of companies, including Bacardi International Limited.
