A quick way to cut emissions from your cocktail

By Joanna OssingerDecades of marketing and overpackaging products means there’s plenty of low-hanging fruit in the effort to make the bevera [Bloomberg]( By Joanna Ossinger Decades of marketing and [overpackaging products]( means there’s plenty of low-hanging fruit in the effort to make the beverage industry greener. And while many of the efforts to reduce waste have [concentrated on recycling]( the billions of plastic containers, aluminum cans and glass bottles the industry uses each year, one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to cut emissions, energy and consumption of raw materials is to rethink the way drinks are packaged and transported. Take Singapore-based [EcoSpirits](, which has introduced a change to the way alcohol is shipped and sold that could eliminate an average of 60% to 90% of the carbon dioxide associated with the traditional packaging and distribution of premium spirits, according to a study performed by Deloitte. Its system has drawn partnerships with iconic hotels such as [London’s Savoy]( and [Singapore’s Raffles Hotel]( as well as global drinks brand [Pernod Ricard](. Here’s how it works: instead of putting the liquid into glass bottles and then shipping them around the world, the producer transports the liquid in bulk. Once it reaches the local market, the drinks are decanted into smaller, reusable containers called ecoTotes that are sent to the venue, such as a bar or an hotel. There the drink is put into the bottles that consumers are used to, or dispensed directly into a glass via an integral tap. The empty containers are returned to the processing plant for refilling. EcoSpirits estimates each ecoTote could eliminate more than 1,000 single-use glass bottles over its lifetime. [Singapore Sling with Widges Gin ecoTote] Singapore Sling with Widges Gin ecoTote. Source: Raffles Hotel With consumer pressure growing, producers of luxury alcohol brands are looking for solutions like this to help them adopt so-called [circular models that reuse materials]( and reduce waste and pollution. Many of the strategies adopted so far are based on reducing the size and weight of bottles and cans and stepping up efforts to get consumers to recycle containers. But reducing the use of cans and bottles altogether has added benefits in reducing shipping emissions and energy use. “The transition to circular packaging technology is one of the most important movements in the spirits industry today,” [Paul Gabie](, ecoSpirits chief executive officer, said in an interview. “Circular is one of the most effective ways for our industry to do its part in supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the global drive to net-zero carbon emissions.” EcoSpirits is one of several companies offering beverage makers ways to slim their shipment profiles. Colorado-based [BrewVo](has developed a way to extract water and alcohol from beer before shipment and reconstitute it at the destination. London-based [Packamama]( makes lie-flat wine bottles that are 87% lighter than traditional cylindrical glass ones and 40% smaller, so almost twice the amount of product can be shipped in the same space, according to the company. It said sales volumes rose more than 20-fold in 2020 and growth has continued despite the pandemic. The drinks industry still has some issues on the environmental front, regardless. Spirits manufactured in one location might be flown anywhere else in the world. The sourcing of ingredients can be a drain on the food-and-beverage supply chain, too. And while the likes of ecoSpirits and Packamama may be changing some practices, there’s still an awful lot of single-use glass, and packaging and container space being used between the creation of the product and the moment it hits a customer’s mouth. [Click here to read the full story about efforts to cut emissions from cocktails.]( If you're a Bloomberg Green subscriber and want to start getting our weekly Pursuits newsletter on Wednesdays, [sign up here](. If you're a Bloomberg Pursuits subscriber and want to start getting our daily Green newsletter, [sign up here](. Some other reads… “This is one of those pretty obvious ideas,” says cofounder and CEO Mitch Lee of his year-old startup’s work on [electrifying pleasure boats](. Arc Boat Co.’s first design, a pre-production model named the Arc One, recently hit the water for a day of testing. Lee travelled with the team building the vessel to Lake Arrowhead, about an hour-and-a-half east of Los Angeles, Arc’s home base. The lake run along with other testing last fall and this winter have informed a handful of specification changes — “in a good way,” according to Arc — from those we reported on in November. 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