BOMBAY SAPPHIRE Distillery at Laverstoke Mill Receives 2014 BREEAM Industrial Award for Sustainable Craftsmanship
27 Jan 2015 --- If walls could talk at the BOMBAY SAPPHIRE Distillery at Laverstoke Mill, they'd tell you that they once served the British Empire, that years of disuse did not diminish their architectural beauty, and that they now house one of the most forward-thinking, sustainable gin brands in the world, within.
Imagination became reality in Laverstoke, England, with the completion of the BOMBAY SAPPHIRE state-of-the-art distillery—the first distillery to win the prestigious 2014 Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology (BREEAM) Industrial Award—a momentous accolade for distillery and visitor centre in Laverstoke in Hampshire, England. BREEAM, the world's foremost environmental assessment method and rating system for buildings, evaluated the former paper mill's stately Georgian and Victorian structures, which date back to the 18th century, rigorously examined the newly refurbished facility for its sustainability practices and bestowed the highest marks to the project for the lowest possible environmental impact.
BOMBAY SAPPHIRE, a Bacardi-owned brand noted for its exceptional and good-spirited, environmental practices, could have easily added another building to its brownfield site; however, it pressed forward with the ambitious project to repurpose the existing, but disused industrial site, because of its pledge to the Bacardi Limited "Good Spirited" global sustainability initiative and because it simply made sense.
The Bacardi Limited Good Spirited campaign runs through the entire family of Bacardi-owned brands and, since 2006, the company-wide credo requires an abiding commitment to track the global impact its production has on the environment. It also obligates the Bacardi portfolio of brands to reevaluate and augment systems to reach the company-wide vision of a net-zero impact. With that spirit of sustainability, globally Bacardi has reduced has energy use by more than 25% and water use by 54%. The refurbishment of the BOMBAY SAPPHIRE Distillery at Laverstoke Mill will unquestionably increase these numbers as the facility is the full embodiment of the Good Spirited initiative, which strives to meet set targets in three areas: responsible sourcing, global packaging and operational efficiencies.
The renovation of the former paper mill was no easy undertaking with the Good Spirited credo as a guide, but it stands as a model for industrial sustainability worldwide. During construction, teams removed huge amounts of industrial waste from the site. Skilled craftsmen painstakingly deconstructed whole buildings brick by brick, meticulously reassembled them by hand and salvaged as many original window frames and bricks as possible to bring the glorious buildings back to their full beauty and operation. The Company also installed a biomass boiler to provide clean energy from burning sustainably sourced wood chips and botanicals leftover from the production of the world's number one premium gin by value.
Within the Good Spirited initiative, by 2017, Bacardi Limited is determined to achieve a 50% reduction in water use and a 55% reduction in the use of greenhouse gas emissions across all of its brands. For that reason, crews installed photovoltaic panels for solar energy and a water turbine to harvest rainwater throughout the distillery. Along the same lines, a system to reuse leftover heat generated during the gin-making process provides heat for the unique, waterfall-reminiscent, glasshouses on the premises, which grow many of the botanicals used in the brand's gin.
"With sensible methods to reduce, reuse, and recycle materials, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE will preserve the Mill's rich history and protect it for centuries to come. From the beginning, sustainability formed the heart of this good-spirited project and the changes made have breathed new life into the walls of BOMBAY SAPPHIRE Distillery at Laverstoke Mill, which, no doubt, have more to say now than ever," says Will Brix, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE Estate Manager.
Building on current programs and efficiencies that reduce water and energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, the Bacardi Limited Good Spirited platform reinforces the Company's years of leadership in corporate social responsibility – and sets specific, new goals in three vital areas:
- Responsible Sourcing: Bacardi strives to obtain all raw materials and packaging from sustainably sourced, renewable or recycled materials while maintaining or enhancing the economic status of growers and suppliers. By 2017, the goal is to obtain 40% of the sugarcane-derived products used to make BACARDI premium rums from certified, sustainable sources – and 100% by 2022. This pledge from Bacardi is an industry first.
- Global Packaging: Bacardi commits to use eco-design to craft sustainability into its brand packaging and point-of-sale materials. By 2017, Bacardi plans to reduce the weight of its packaging by 10% and achieve 15% by 2022. Bacardi collaborates with its partners – including glass and paper suppliers – to make packaging more environmentally friendly.
- Operational Efficiencies: Bacardi continues to focus on reducing water use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions with a 2017 goal to cut water use by 55% and GHG emissions by 50%. The Company further seeks innovative treatments for water left over from production. In addition, Bacardi aims to eliminate landfill waste at all of its production sites by 2022.
