The brand owner, which bought a minority stake in Singapore-based Ecospirits a year ago, has been running a pilot for Absolut vodka, Beefeater gin and Havana Club rum utilises its partners’ Ecotote closed-loop packaging. The trial, in Hong Kong and Singapore, has led to today’s announcement of a five-year worldwide licensing agreement for the trio.
The Ecotote pack used by the brands holds 4.5 litres of liquid, connects with the co-branded Smartpour dispense system in the on-premise and is then refilled at Ecospirits’ Ecoplant facilities, one of which has been set up at the Havana Club distillery in Cuba.
The deal, which follows a similar announcement by Rémy Cointreau last week, will see ABsolut, Beefeater and Havana Club “introduced to new markets under the new global agreement, with additional brands from the group’s portfolio to be added over time”.
“This next step in our partnership … reflects our belief in the transformative power of this solution to enhance operational efficiency and reduce not only our environmental footprint, but the impact of our industry at large,” said Pernod Ricard’s executive VP of integrated operations & sustainability, Maria Pia De Caro. “We are excited to continue working together to refine, scale and champion Ecospirits as the future of wine and spirits distribution.”
Earlier this year, Pernod Ricard lined up another ESG-related expansion, this time for its ‘Drink More Water’ responsible drinking campaign.
