Bacardi-Owned Martini Brand Cuts GHGs 30%

Vermouth and sparkling Italian wines brand Martini, owned by Bacardi, has cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than 30 percent and water use by 4 percent since 2006.

The brand has also decreased its landfill waste 7 percent since 2009, a reduction of 750 metric tons.

The company has implemented a number of other environmental practices as well — part of Bacardi’s global Good Spirited sustainability initiative.

In Italy’s Asti area, where Moscato grapes are hand-picked for Martini sparkling wines, the company established an onsite sustainability center where scientists help farmers construct custom birdhouses that attract indigenous species to ward off harmful insects in a natural way. There, an expert from the University of Turin advises growers on cultivating and protecting vines that are more than 100 years old on how to make them more resistant to today’s environment.

Once grapes are picked and processed, the juice is transferred to the Martini production facility in Pessione, outside of Turin, where the company uses hydropower channeled from rivers and streams in the neighboring Italian Alps. Almost all electricity for the Martini facility in Pessione comes from renewable sources.

A recent redesign lightweighted the Martini Asti bottle, making it much lighter to create, package and ship. Savings translate into 330 fewer cars on the road each year.