Carnival Cruise Line tests closed-loop supply chain to cut single-use packaging

Carnival Cruise Line has announced the launch of a trial program to test tweaks to its beverage supply chain to reduce single-use packaging.

The cruise line is collaborating with spirits company Bacardi and innovative circular economy technology company ecoSPIRITS to cut packaging waste.

A new closed-loop packaging system will be trialled aboard three Carnival Cruise Line ships to determine if re-usable containers developed by ecoSPIRITS can be used to serve Bacardi rum fleetwide.

Carnival Cruise Line said in a release that by reusing the containers of rum, single-use packaging will be reduced by up to 95 percent.

The concept is being tested for three months aboard Carnival Celebration, Carnival Horizon and Carnival Sunrise, all cruising roundtrip from Miami.

“As we continue to work towards our sustainability goals, the collaborative work of our beverage team, ecoSPIRITS and Bacardi is a great example of thinking in ways that are truly out-of-the-box, or in this case – out-of-the-bottle, to develop new partnerships and practices that further our ongoing efforts,” said Zachary Sulkes, Senior Director, Beverage Operations at Carnival Cruise Line.

As part of the collaboration, ecoSPIRITS created a specialized version of its patent-pending closed loop glass packaging format, the ecoTOTE3.0SC Cruise Edition, specifically for the maritime environment.

Each ecoTOTE replaces approximately four bottles of Bacardi Superior rum and each one is used, cleaned and refilled approximately 100 times, thereby creating a closed loop system.

Carnival Cruise Line said it was implementing the test with rum initially as the spirit is one of the most ordered across the fleet, and is a staple of many of the cruise line’s signature cocktails.

The rum will be transferred from the ecoTOTE to serving format using ecoSPIRITS’ SmartPour technology, with new silver and red Bacradi-branded SmartPours placed in select bars on all three ships from which staff will serve cocktails featuring Bacardi Superior rum.

“As we strive to become the most environmentally responsible global spirits company, we are continuously looking for opportunities to deliver our beautiful drinks in more sustainable packaging and formats, helping us build to a greener future,” said Rodolfo Nervi, Vice President, Global Safety, Quality & Sustainability for Bacardi.

“Innovating in closed loop packaging has been a top priority for us for a number of years, so launching our very first ecoTOTE for BACARDĺ rum on a Carnival cruise ship and seeing the doors this trial will open, is an incredibly exciting step forwards in that journey,” he added.