With innovative updates to the packaging of its key whisky brands, the company expects to reduce 35 tons of cardboard boxes and 3.6 tons of wrapping fabric per year.
This initiative will help reduce 35 tons of cardboard boxes and 3.5 tons of wrapping fabric per year, the equivalent resource savings of 840 trees and 720 million liters of water.
Pernod Ricard Korea, the Korean unit of the global wine and spirits company Pernod Ricard, has announced a plan to streamline the packaging of its key whisky brands. Under this initiative, the company will reduce its secondary packaging, such as cardboard boxes.
Pernod Ricard Korea announced that it will halt the production of its secondary packaging for its eight key whisky products of Ballantine’s and Royal Salute. Starting in July this year, the company has already suspended the production of its secondary cardboard packaging for Ballantine’s 12YO (500ml and 700ml off-premise), Ballantine’s Masters (500ml and 700ml on-premise), and Ballantine’s 17YO (500ml and 700ml on-premise) in addition to the fabric pouch for Royal Salute 21YO (500ml and 700ml). The plan to improve its product packaging is expected to reduce 35 tons of cardboard boxes and 3.6 tons of fabric per year. This has the effect of saving 840 trees used for producing cardboard box* and about 720 million liters of water used for fabric pouch** a year and is equivalent to a total of 6 million sheets of A4 paper***.
[ * 24 trees, 300 million liters of water, and 32 million BTUs of energy are used to produce just 1 ton of paper. (Article of The Complete Guide to a Circular Economy of Paper on 23 Sept 2019 at Material Trader.com) ]
[ ** As reference, it can take up to 200 tonnes of fresh water to produce a tonne of dyed fabric. (Article of How is fast fashion polluting our water? on 14 Nov 2019 at Open Access Government) ]
[ *** A box of A4 paper (2,500 sheets) is 14.5 kg (including loss on paper cutting) (Source : How many sheets of paper will come out of each 30-year-old wood? (slowalk.com)) ]
Starting with this initiative, Pernod Ricard Korea expects its outcome in resource and cost savings not only through the elimination of nonessential secondary packaging but also through reducing the resulting energy use and carbon footprint from transporting and discarding such packaging. The company also expects to contribute to improving waste and waste disposal problems by reducing secondary packaging materials.
CEO Frantz Hotton of Pernod Ricard Korea commented, “Pernod Ricard Korea will continue to practice sustainable activities across relevant industries in Korea to help establish a sustainable consumption culture. Indeed, beyond the environmental benefit, here is also a cost saving benefit for our customers and consumers! Due the continuous significant inflation on raw material, it won’t allow a price adjustment, but this strategic move will limit the price increase, expected sooner than later.”
Pernod Ricard Group announced the 2030 Sustainability and Responsibility roadmap ‘Good Times from a Good Place’ in 2019 and has been conducting a variety of activities worldwide to practice sustainability and achieve circular making. In line with the roadmap, the company announced a plan in August to replace all its corporate business vehicles with eco-friendly mobility to reduce carbon emissions. It is also banning single-use plastic items and ensuring that all products used in marketing and promotion activities are made of recyclable, reusable or compostable materials. Moreover, Pernod Ricard Korea has been operating the Bar World of Tomorrow, a professional training program, for bartenders and bar owners since January of this year to establish a culture of sustainability across related industries and improve awareness on resource-saving and circular making.