In Bermuda, spirituous beverage giant Bacardi has announced it will launch polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) bioplastic bottles that biodegrade in 18 months. The new packaging, which will be on shelves by 2023, will eliminate 3,000 tons of plastic from circulation.
BACARDI rum will be the first spirit to appear in the new bottle, before the new material is rolled out to replace single-use plastic across all Bacardi labels, including BOMBAY SAPPHIRE gin, GREY GOOSE vodka, PATRÓN tequila, MARTINI vermouth and DEWAR’S Scotch whisky.
Bacardi developed the bottle with Danimer Scientific, which produces Nodax-brand PHA from natural oils such as palm, canola and soy. Regular plastic bottles take over 400 years to decompose.
Bacardi Packaging Development team will also work to solve a long-standing plastic problem facing the beverage industry: the plastic lining of bottle closures. “It may sound small,” says Jean-Marc Lambert, Senior Vice President, Global Operations for Bacardi. “But add that up across every bottle produced globally and we’re talking many tons of plastic every day. Once we’ve fixed the problem, we’ll be open sourcing the solution for the entire ind