Bermuda-based drinks giant Bacardi Limited has announced that this holiday season, its range of gift packs will contain 50 per cent less plastic than last year.

The largest privately held spirits company in the world said it is removing 147 tons of single-use plastic used annually in its gift packs through innovative new designs, which remove the need for plastic, and by replacing plastic inserts or trays with sustainable alternatives made from cardboard certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

The company said this year’s 50 per cent cut is a giant step towards Bacardi achieving its 2023 goal of removing 100 per cent of all single-use plastic from its gift packs and point-of-sale materials, and the company’s 2030 goal of being 100 per cent plastic free.

The range of gift packs from Bacardi now includes 100 per cent plastic-free designs, available for the first time this holiday season.

Rodolfo Nervi, vice president global safety, quality and sustainability for Bacardi, said: “As a family-owned company for nearly 160 years, we have crafted exceptional drinks enjoyed by generations of consumers.

“We have achieved this long success by always looking to the future and doing the right thing for our consumers, our customers and our company.

“Today’s announcement confirms this. We want to be the most environmentally responsible global drinks company and we will only achieve this ambition by constantly exploring and investing in new innovations, like sustainable alternatives to plastic, which will help us meet our environmental goals.”

As part of its corporate responsibility programme, Good Spirited, and in line with the United Nations sustainable development goals, Bacardi said it has set a number of goals which it is committed to achieving by 2025.

These goals, which are in addition to the company’s commitment to be 100 per cent plastic free by 2030, include:

•50 per cent cut in greenhouse gas emissions;

•25 per cent cut in water consumption;

•100 per cent key raw materials and packaging sourced sustainably;

•100 per cent of product packaging to be recyclable;

•40 per cent recycled content of product packaging materials;

•Zero waste to landfill at all production sites.

Bacardi said the new 100 per cent plastic-free gift packs are available in select markets globally.