Beefeater removes plastic from new bottle range

Beefeater has launched a new 100% recyclable bottle, featuring paper labels and an aluminium cap that will be rolled out globally across its range of gins this month.


Beefeater removes plastic from new bottle range

The bottle launch aligns with the broader sustainability strategies of Pernod Ricard

Beefeater, which is owned by beverage giant Pernod Ricard, launched the new bottle range to coincide with its “200 years of distilling heritage”. The new bottle replaces a plastic cap for an aluminium variant, while the previous PVC label has been replaced with paper. As such, the glass bottle is 100% recyclable.

According to the company, the replacements will deliver annual savings of 410 tonnes of plastic, which is equivalent to 17 million water bottles.

The new Beefeater bottle will be rolled out globally from January 2021 and will extend across the full range, excluding Beefeater 24.

Beefeater’s global brand director Murielle Dessenis said: “Whilst our packaging has evolved our award-winning gin remains the same, with every drop distilled in the heart of London. The design of a bottle, from its shape to its label, paints a picture of what the liquid inside will taste like. The brand is fortunate enough to have 200 years of distilling heritage to draw from and this new pack certainly celebrates the history but also looks forward to the next 200 years.

“The new design has performed well with bartenders and consumers alike, and we’re proud to have designed this new iteration of Beefeater’s iconic bottle with sustainability in mind, taking the brand on to the next step in its journey with a natural evolution for today’s gin enthusiasts.”

The bottle launch aligns with the broader sustainability strategies of Pernod Ricard. Pernod Ricard has moved a target to end the use of single-use plastic point-of-sale (POS) items forward four years, pledging to reach the ambition by 2021.

Pernod Ricard, a member of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy, is also targeting improved packaging recyclability. By 2025, Pernod Ricard will target 100% of its packaging to be recyclable, compostable, reusable or bio-based. By 2030, five new closed-loop methods of distributing its wine and spirits will be introduced to increase recycling rates in the firm’s 10 largest markets that have low recycling rates. In 2018, Pernod Ricard banned plastic straws and stirrers from its events.

Beefeater is the latest alcoholic beverage to be housed in new sustainable packaging. Last year, Diageo unveiled a plastic-free, paper-based spirits bottle, which will debut on the company’s Johnnie Walker range of Scotch Whisky this year.

Diageo, which makes renowned drinks such as Smirnoff and Guinness, claims the bottle is the world’s first-ever 100% plastic-free, paper-based variant. The bottle is made from sustainably sourced wood fibre and meets food-safe standards.

Elsewhere, Danish brewer Carlsberg unveiled prototypes of the world’s first beer bottles made from recyclable and bio-based materials. Carlsberg will test the barrier technology with the ambition of being able to commercialise a 100% bio-based bottle that doesn’t contain polymers.

Matt Mace

Action inspires action. Stay ahead of the curve with sustainability and energy newsletters from edie

Subscribe