Sustainability is all in the detail
By Matt Barker
All images courtesy of BACARDÍ
BACARDÍ takes its eco credentials really seriously. Global Brand Director Fabio Ruffet reveals how the company plans to become the most environmentally responsible spirits brand.
It’s what keeps CEOs and marketing suites awake at night, awash with dread. The fear of being called out by consumers unimpressed by an ill-timed, ill-chosen attempt to join a conversation around a social issue, be it diversity, austerity or, especially, sustainability, has become a very real concern, set to a backdrop of global economic downturn, record lows in consumer confidence and myriad other doom-scrolling scenarios.
Accusations of greenwashing, of making all the right noises but completely the wrong choices, can quickly fly around social and online, before being picked up by mainstream media and causing a serious dent to a brand’s integrity. Of course, the responsible ones ensure that everything’s properly in place before making any big statement about their eco credentials.
One global name that has been particularly impressive in this regard is BACARDÍ, the world’s largest privately held beverage company. With a series of sustainability initiatives and programmes that veer from protecting biodiversity on the doorstep of its fabled rum distillery, the rum cathedral as it is affectionately known in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to the launch of the #NoStraw movement to help reduce single-use plastic, BACARDÍ has been building on the legacy of company founder Don Facundo Bacardí Masso, who oversaw disaster relief following an earthquake that hit Santiago de Cuba in 1852.
As BACARDÍ’s Global Brand Director Fabio Ruffet explains, consumer expectations and the attendant pressures to do the right thing are to be embraced, rather than anguished over. “We welcome 250,000 visitors per year to our Casa BACARDÍ visitor experience in Puerto Rico,” he says. “It gives us the opportunity to showcase our progress and have an open dialogue with our consumers about our goal to be the most environmentally responsible spirits company.”
BACARDÍ’s partnership with organisations like Lonely Whale (with its mission to prevent plastic waste from entering the ocean) has provided it with a genuine insight into the scale of the problems faced and the work needed to be done.
Raising awareness and funds, campaigns have a creative energy and attention-grabbing dynamism, typified by the popularity of vinyl albums produced using recycled single-use straws or charity concerts featuring the likes of Jay Z, Jennifer Lopez, Cardi B and ASAP Ferg. It’s a tricky balancing act, delivering serious messaging with a tone of voice that retains the brand’s spirit and style, but Ruffet believes that such an approach is vital. “We have strong evidence that indicates our main audiences like to party as much as they like to protect the environment,” he says. “Millennials and Gen Z are the most vocal and active when it comes to our planet, leading to a shift from ‘value for money’ to ‘values for money’.”
A set of impressive targets includes cutting greenhouse emissions at the Puerto Rico distillery by 50% from next year and aiming to be 100% plastic-free by the end of the decade (earlier this year it was announced that Martini, part of the BACARDÍ portfolio, now had fully certified sustainable wineries). Ruffet agrees with the notion that sustainability is all in the detail, and that wider change is prompted as much by shifts in individuals’ behaviour than it is by corporate or political example.
“We believe everyone can play a role. We’re a family company and doing the right thing is in our DNA, so ideas and initiatives are happening in our offices and distilleries around the world every single day. It’s energising to be surrounded by that passion.”
At Casa BACARDÍ in Puerto Rico there is a wildlife team dedicated to managing a number of local pollinator gardens around the distillery to ensure the local wildlife has somewhere to live.
Having an international community of consumers and aficionados is both a source of inspiration and pride for Ruffet and his team, but so too is the recognition for BACARDÍ’s internal culture, with Forbes magazine including the company in its list of World’s Best Employers. “That’s testament to our fearless founders, family culture,” he says. “We love talking about these successes and sharing the incredible 160-year heritage of our company with our consumers.”