As a major step towards its promise of a plastic-free business by 2030, Bacardi, the largest privately-owned liquor brand has unveiled its plan to launch Nodax PHA made biodegradable bottle which breaks down in just 18 months. It will be made out of a plant-based plastic produced using the natural oil from plant seeds such as palm, canola and soy. The new 100% biodegradable bottle will replace 80 million plastic bottles – 3,000 tons of plastic – currently produced by Bacardi across its portfolio of brands every year.

“Over our 158-year history, BACARDÍ has always believed in respecting the world’s natural resources and acting responsibly, from the sustainable sourcing of our sugarcane to the water and energy used to make our rum. We’re now excited to be pioneering this new biopolymer technology for the benefit of all Bacardi brands and the entire spirits industry,” said Ned Duggan, Senior Vice President, BACARDÍ, in a statement. This revolutionary move by Bacardi is possible thanks to its close collaboration with Danimer Scientific, a leading developer and manufacturer of biodegradable products.

BACARDÍ rum will be the first spirit to appear in the new bottle, before the plant-based material is rolled out to replace single-use plastic across the entire Bacardi supply chain and the company’s 200 brands and labels including BOMBAY SAPPHIRE gin, GREY GOOSE vodka, PATRÓN tequila, MARTINI vermouth and DEWAR’S Scotch whisky. Jean-Marc Lambert, Senior Vice President, Global Operations for Bacardi, said: “When we set ourselves the goal of being 100% plastic free by 2030, we knew that it would take ground-breaking advances in packaging design to make it achievable, and that’s exactly what’s happening through our partnership with Danimer.”

However, drinkers have been worried about their booze bottles at the back of their cupboard being breaking down cause eventually, it is biodegradable. Bacardi has ensured that he bottles need microorganisms to start degrading and there is no danger of this happening in the spirits cupboard.

Working collaboratively on sustainable packaging solutions seems to have already taken a foothold in the food and beverage industry. Efforts to work in alliance with each other may increase in frequency as companies’ deadlines for pledges to make their packaging recyclable are hovering. Other than Barcardi, Carlsberg had announced in May, that the company is also experimenting with plant-based bottles. Even PepsiCo had said that it is experimenting with recyclable paper bottles and Coca Cola promised that its plastic bottles will be replaced by biodegradable ones by 2023.