Water is key to the production of BACARDI rum. On average, it takes 12 liters of water to create one liter of any distilled spirit. At the BACARDI distillery's island home in Puerto Rico, water conservation is an important component of the Bacardi Limited sustainability commitment.
Water is used to clean the American white oak barrels in which BACARDI rum ages. Imported from Kentucky - and once used for whiskey as these barrels help develop the unique flavor, aroma and smoothness of BACARDI rum - the barrels are carefully rinsed before being filled. At Bacardi, this bathwater does not go to waste. It's collected - then re-used - to spray down and reduce the temperatures of the cooling towers used in the rum distillation process. Engineers at the Puerto Rico facility, the world's largest premium rum distillery, have calculated the savings.
"We recycle about 15,000 gallons of water per day," says Magaly Feliciano, Environmental Health and Safety Manager for Bacardi in Puerto Rico. "That's enough to supply the daily water needs of 40 families of four."
Since the Company began tracking its global impacts on the environment in 2006, Bacardi has reduced global water use by 54 percent, supported by a 72 percent reduction in water left over from the production of BACARDI rum.
Building on current programs and efficiencies that reduce water and energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, the Bacardi Limited "Good Spirited" global sustainability program sets specific goals in three areas:
• Responsible Sourcing: Bacardi strives to obtain all raw materials and packaging from sustainably sourced, renewable or recycled materials while maintaining or enhancing the economic status of growers and suppliers. By 2017, the goal is to obtain 40 percent of the sugarcane-derived products used to make BACARDI rum from certified, sustainable sources - and 100 percent by 2022. This pledge from Bacardi is an industry first.
• Global Packaging: Bacardi commits to use eco-design to craft sustainability into its brand packaging and point-of-sale materials. By 2017, Bacardi plans to reduce the weight of its packaging by 10 percent and achieve 15 percent by 2022.
• Operational Efficiencies: Bacardi continues to focus on reducing water use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions with a 2017 goal to cut water use by 55 percent and GHG emissions by 50 percent. In addition, Bacardi aims to eliminate landfill waste at all of its production sites by 2022.
