ecoSPIRITS Forest Program: Save 150g of carbon emissions per cocktail

Plantation Rum ecoTOTE @ Rum Diary, Melbourne Photo courtesy of venue

ecoSPIRITS, the world’s first low carbon, low waste spirits distribution technology, has announced a partnership with Green Steps Group, carbon dioxide (CO2) impact and reforestation specialists, to launch the ecoSPIRITS Forest Program. This innovative program will further offset the carbon impact of beverage operations in ecoSPIRITS partner hotels, restaurants and bars in Australia, raising the total carbon emissions savings to more than 2,300g for each single use glass bottle eliminated, or around 150g per cocktail served.

Under the program, one tree will be planted in the endangered Kalimantan rainforest in Borneo, Indonesia for each ecoTOTE ordered by an ecoSPIRITS partner venue in Australia. Each tree will be geo-tagged in the name of the partner venue. Using Green Steps Group’s proprietary “proof of planting” technology platform, the ecoSPIRITS Forest Program will be verified, monitored, and reported through an industry-leading digital trail. Tree planting benefits the partner venue, but is jointly funded by ecoSPIRITS, its spirit brand partners, such as Plantation Rum, Widges Gin and Arquitecto Tequila, and its licensed distributor, Proof & Company Australia.

During the first year of the program, with the help of ecoSPIRITS partner venues across Asia Pacific, ecoSPIRITS and Green Steps Group expect to plant at least 25,000 locally grown trees in the reforestation area. Once safely established, however, these future forest giants can sequester CO2 for more than 200 years. Over its entire lifespan, a single tree will sequester an average of 2,400kg of CO2 – equivalent to eliminating 4,800 single use glass spirit bottles.

Why does this matter?
Under the ecoSPIRITS Forest Program, Cantina OK! will plant at least 250 trees per year by pouring Arquitecto Tequila in the low-carbon, low-waste ecoSPIRITS format. The annual carbon impact of Cantina OK!’s ecoSPIRITS partnership, through both the elimination of single use glass and reforestation, will now exceed 4,000kg of emissions reduction. And all this for a 15-square meter laneway bar.

Cantina OK!, Sydney

Cantina OK! in Sydney, Australia
“Rarely do you get the opportunity to work with innovative people looking to make the world a better place. Not everyone sees the forest for the trees. Our relationship with ecoSPIRITS is one of those unique win-win situations. We thought eliminating single use glass bottles was game-changing, but the ecoSPIRITS Forest Program has really set a new precedent,” says Alex Dowd, Co-Owner, Cantina OK!. “We’re proud to be a part of it and feel lucky that, even in a small space, we can contribute to offsetting our carbon impact and reforesting endangered rainforests. We hope that other companies around the world are taking notice of the new standards being set.”

For more information on partnering with ecoSPIRITS in your venue,
please contact your local Proof & Company representative or inquire with us at ordersAU@proofandcompany.com . To stay up to date on the latest ecoSPIRITS developments, please follow @ecospirits.global along on Instagram