Diageo launches 100% plastic removal for Seagram’s 7 Crown bottles

The company behind drinks brands Guinness and Rockshore has announced that its extraordinarily blended American whiskey Seagram’s 7 Crown bottles will be made from 100% recycled plastic (rPET). This move by the company is a first for the brand and for Diageo.

Diaego has always given packaging its prime priority. Therefore, this step will see the group remove virgin plastic from Seagram’s 7 Crown bottles across all its PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) formats: 1.75-litre, 750ml, 375ml, and 200ml. This change will ultimately reduce virgin plastic by almost 1000 tons annually. The company’s new bottles will be launched across the Seagram’s 7 Crown range in the US from the end of June 2020. These recycled plastic bottles will be seen alongside with a number of the brand’s format in the glass. On the bottle’s label, Diageo is encouraging consumers to recycle so the material can be reused again.

“Great packaging is essential for our brands. Consumers expect our packs to be of the highest quality, while also being functional and sustainable,” said Jason Sorley, Brand Director, Diageo North America. “We are very excited to have Seagram’s 7 Crown move to 100% recycled PET, reinforcing our commitment to both innovation and minimizing its environmental footprint.”

Ronald Holmes, packaging director, Diageo North America, said: “We continue to take an innovative approach towards delivering sustainable packaging designs and are proud that this move supports our goal to increase recycled content across our brands globally to 45%.

Apart from this important step, many others were taken to help reduce the amount of plastic in the operation and bring Diageo closer to its ambitious targets for use of plastics, like, an investment to reduce the number of plastics used in its beer packaging operations. It was followed by a Guinness Open Gate Brewery announcement that all Baltimore-brewed limited release canned multipacks will be sold in eco-friendly carriers and not in the standard plastic rings generally used for beer.

The drinks group has also phased out the use of plastic straws and stirrers from its offices, events, promotions, advertising, and marketing across the world.

DIAGEO’S GLOBAL PLASTICS TARGETS FOR 2025

• Ensure 100% of our plastic use is designed to be widely recyclable (or reusable/compostable), using plastics that allow for increased consumer recycling rates
• Achieve 40% average recycled content in our plastic bottles – and 100% by 2030
• Continue to invest in circular economy opportunities and other sustainable packaging breakthroughs
• Accelerate our support for recycling by increasing collaboration, particularly where we have influence, and engaging with Governments, peers, and consumers to facilitate improved recycling.