Sustainability remains much on the mind of alcohol companies, as they keep an eco-conscious eye on protecting the future of the industry. This includes Rémy Cointreau, whose CEO of Americas, Nicolas Beckers, recently spoke to the Beverage Information Group on the subject.
Beverage Dynamics: Why is it so important that companies like Rémy Cointreau commit to sustainable practices?
Nicolas Beckers: We all have a role to play in ensuring that the spirits we enjoy are produced in a way that takes care of the land and people in order to offer clients exceptional spirits. At Remy Cointreau, we firmly believe that the fight against climate change is essential to preserve our unique terroirs and deliver quality products. We are seeing a growing demand for more qualitative spirits and consumptions shifting to ‘Drink Less but Better’, which matches our long-term value strategy.
BD: What sustainable practices is Remy currently committed to?
NB: Rémy Cointreau’s ambition remains at the forefront of this changing climate and consumer demands for quality spirits, by focusing mainly on three pillars:
Speeding up the transition to agroecology in our regions:
- 100% of our estates from Remy Martin Cognac to Cointreau to the Botanist Gin are currently converting to agroecology
- It doesn’t stop with us; 100% of our direct partners will be trained in agroecology. To date, 79% of all our agricultural suppliers are engaged in the certification process; goal of 100% by 2025.
- Rémy Cointreau Americas partnered with WWF Mexico to protect and regenerate the Monarch butterfly in the Americas. The role of butterflies is critical as it serves as indicators of ecosystem health.
Acting for our people and communities:
- Establishing well-being at work, promoting team diversity and ensuring accountable and engaged governance.
- Guaranteeing the transmission of our ancestral savoir-faire and developing a culture of continuous training among our employees.
- Engaging with our partners and communities: sharing our values and value creation. One such example is our Cosmo for a Cause initiative. A charitable program created by Cointreau that encourages consumers to celebrate the holiday season through cocktails while giving back to their local bar and restaurant communities. Cointreau donated a portion of sales up to $100,000 to the Independent Restaurant Coalition (IRC) for every order of a Cosmopolitan cocktail at participating restaurants and bars
Committing over time:
- Rémy Cointreau’s footprint: 0.5 kg. CO2 per € of profit vs. 4 to 5 kg. Food & Beverage and 6 kg. Global Consumer Goods; this is due to our actions initiated already more than since 10 years ago .
- Currently 79% of our bottles are sold without packaging. We have worked to eliminate gift boxes to save raw materials and ultimately reduce carbon footprint
- Rémy Cointreau is also setting precedent with packaging, aiming to eliminate secondary packaging and gift boxes that act as an unnecessary layer around the product. In doing so, we save raw materials and ultimately reduce our carbon footprint. In March 2024, 79% of the group’s bottles had no secondary packaging, compared to 21% in 2019. We are targeting 85% for 2025. While Telmont, Cointreau or Belle de Brillet no longer use them, the high-end brands such as Rémy Martin LOUIS XIII still use them, but have innovated with a cellulose box, made of recycled and recyclable materials
- Rémy Cointreau also renewed its partnership with ecoSPIRITS through a global licensing agreement, dedicated to the reduction of glass bottle usage. Through this partnership, Rémy Cointreau has achieved a CO2 reduction of over 80% per bottle and a packaging reduction of 90% on the scope.
BD: What’s next for sustainable practices at Remy?
NB: Our goal continues to be reducing our carbon emissions and achieving ‘Net Zero’ by 2050.
For us, our next steps continue to ladder into this goal. We are working with our partners to sustainably improve, and even transform, our practices. We are reducing the energy consumption of our production sites and switching our distilleries to renewable energies.
We are rethinking the design of our bottles to reduce their impact and encourage new modes of consumption. We are optimizing our flows, favoring the most environmentally friendly modes of transport and investing in those of the future.
Kyle Swartz is editor of Beverage Dynamics. Reach him at kswartz@epgmediallc.com. Read his recent piece, Wine Cellar Celebrates 50 Years of Success.
