Diageo Debuts 100% Recycled Plastic Bottle
Diageo North America announced that its iconic blended American whiskey Seagram’s 7 Crown bottles will be made from 100% recycled plastic (rPET). The move is a first for the brand and for Diageo.
Building on a decade long commitment to making its packaging more sustainable, Diageo North America will remove virgin plastic from Seagram’s 7 Crown bottles across all its PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) formats: 1.75l, 750ml, 375ml, and 200ml. This change will reduce the use of virgin plastic by almost 1000 tons annually – the equivalent of removing 100 million 500ml plastic bottles, which, if laid out in a row, would represent 11,957 miles (almost 5 trips between New York and Los Angeles).
The new bottles will be on shelf across the Seagram’s 7 Crown range in the United States from the end of June 2020. A variety of the brand’s formats in glass bottles will remain alongside the new recycled PET bottles. As stated on the product’s label, Diageo encourages consumers to recycle so the material can be used again for bottles or other purposes.
“Great packaging is essential for our brands. Consumers expect our packs to be of the highest quality, while also being functional and sustainable,’ said Jason Sorley, Brand Director, Diageo North America. ‘We are very excited to have Seagram’s 7 Crown move to 100% recycled PET, reinforcing our commitment to both innovation and minimizing its environmental footprint.”
Ronald Holmes, packaging director, Diageo North America added: “We continue to take an innovative approach towards delivering sustainable packaging designs and are proud that this move supports our goal to increase recycled content across our brands globally to 45%. Using recycled materials to make packaging reduces the carbon footprint of our brands, raises awareness with consumers, and encourages the industry to follow.”
Last year, Diageo announced an investment to reduce the amount of plastic used in its beer packaging operations. It was followed by a Guinness Open Gate Brewery announcement that all Baltimore-brewed limited release canned multipacks available for purchase at the brewery will be sold in eco-friendly carriers as an alternative to the standard plastic rings typically used for beer.
These innovations bring Diageo closer to its ambitious targets for use of plastics. Diageo is committed to ensuring that 100% of its plastic used is widely recyclable by 2025 and plastic bottles are made of 100% recycled content by 2030.
In 2018, Diageo announced new plastics targets for 2025 and beyond. Its targets aim to ensure that 100% of plastics used are designed to be widely recyclable, reusable, or compostable and made from recycled material. In December 2017, Diageo committed to phasing out the use of plastic straws and stirrers from its offices, events, promotions, advertising, and marketing globally – and advocates the same to its partners and customers. Diageo is pleased to be a signatory to Ellen MacArthur New Plastics Economy Global Commitment.
The preceding press release was provided by a company unaffiliated with Packaging Impressions. The views expressed within do not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of Packaging Impressions.
