Toast to Earth Day With These Eco-Friendly Rum Brands
(Photo: Fateme Alaie/Unsplash)
Earth Day is all about celebrating the planet and supporting environmental protections. Unfortunately, the spirits industry can be a major contributor to pollutants that affect water, air and land quality. So what better way to show appreciation for the lovely planet than toasting to it with a rum that was made with the environment in mind? Learn about these rum producers that have shown a dedication to improving their processes and becoming more sustainable in order to protect Mother Earth.
Montanya Distillers
(Photo: Montanya Distillers)
Environmental sustainability is the core aspect of how Montanya does business. The distillery is certified B Corp which means the company is held to some of the highest standards when comes to positive environmental performance. The company must maintain a commitment to positively impacting the planet and people to keep this status.
Montanya’s facilities are 100% wind-powered and the distillery offsets its carbon footprint through programs that plant trees, install renewable energy technology and capture methane from landfills.
Reducing waste is a major part of its positive impact. This includes organic waste produced by the distillery is put through biodigesters that convert the waste into gray water. Also, Montana is certified Plastic Neutral. An effort is put into the sustainability of the rum bottles and labels as well.
Don Q
(Photo: Don Q)
Makers of Don Q rum, Destilería Serrallés (Serrallés Distillery) has focused its efforts on preventing pollutants from entering the natural environment. This includes preventing gases from being released into the atmosphere and keeping wastewater from ending up in natural waterways and the ocean. Captured gases are put to good use through energy-capturing techniques to make the distillery more sustainable.
A common issue with distillation is that the distilling process creates wastewater filled with organic material. Serrallés uses anaerobic digesters to clean the water by breaking down the organic waste and also captures the biogas to power the distillery. Since 2005, no wastewater from this distillery ends up in the ocean or rivers. During distillation, the facilities also capture CO2 to be used for other industries like soda companies so it doesn’t go directly into the atmosphere.
Ron Barceló
(Photo: Ron Barceló)
As one of the largest rum producers in the world, Ron Barceló dedicated itself to being carbon neutral since 2016. The Dominican Republican distillery joined the United Nations “Climate Neutral Now” initiative which sets sustainability standards for companies including farm sustainability and limiting land use along with protecting water and air quality. Barceló makes rum using steam and almost 90% of its energy comes from renewable or green sources. The distillery also captures its own CO2 emissions preventing further negative impacts on the environment.
This distillery is said to be the first rum producer to be certified carbon neutral and it has achieved several certifications including Climate Neutral Now, ISO 14067 Standard, ISO 14064, and Bilan Carbone.
Novo Fogo Cachaça
(Photo: Novo Fogo)
Novo Fogo works to be a zero-waste distillery and produces its cachaça from organically farmed sugarcane. The distillery resides in the Atlantic Forest region of Brazil that UNESCO designated as the world’s second-largest Biosphere Reserve. Unfortunately, about 90% of the forest has already been lost which is why Novo Fogo created a rehab center for threatened species of native trees as part of its “The Un-Endangered Forest” project. This involves fostering trees in the distillery’s nursery and planting them on the property as well as its partner properties. Novo Fogo says its efforts have made it a carbon-negative company.
Candela Mamajuana Rum
(Photo: Candela Mamajuana Rum)
The rapidly growing rum brand, Candela Mamajuana is another eco-conscious company based in the Dominican Republic. The spiced rum is created exclusively with renewable energy and energy-saving techniques. Efforts are also made to reuse and recycle rainwater. Candela works with a zero-waste distributor, escoSpirits, in order to cut down on waste created from packaging. The brand is also involved in ocean conversation that aims to remove plastic from the ocean.
Mount Gay Rum
(Photo: Mount Gay Rum)
Mount Gay, as one of the major rum producers in the world, has made a commitment to transition its facility to become more sustainable. The Barbados rum producer has several initiatives to set goals to create a field-to-food forest including planting at least 1000 trees a year and increasing the bee population through the construction of beehives. Mount Gay uses alternative energy sources including solar and fuel substitutions. The goal is to run its facilities using 100% green energy by 2028.
The brand commitments also extend to the water, to which it uses wastewater to irrigate the land along with removing plastic from the ocean. The distillery also has Bonsucro certification which means it follows guidelines for sugarcane sustainability and standards. Mount Gay is transparent with its goals to become more sustainable and it’s an ongoing process for this distillery.
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