Irish Distillers, producer of some of the world’s most well-known and successful Irish whiskeys, has today announced that as part of its sustainability and responsibility roadmap, all Irish Distillers’ secondary packaging across its portfolio of Irish whiskeys will be recyclable, reusable, compostable or removed entirely by the end of 2025.
The Jameson portfolio will drive the change with the progressive removal of gift boxes, ultimately resulting in the removal of approximately 4 million units between now and the end of 2025. Consumers can expect to see a gradual reduction of secondary packaging in markets over this timeframe.
The move supports Irish Distillers’ sustainability and responsibility ambitions and will reduce the environmental impact of brand packaging by reducing waste. The move also aligns with Pernod Ricard’s circular making strategy which applies five key principles at each step of product lifecycle: Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Respect.
Gift packs containing secondary items such as hipflasks or drinking glasses will be 100% recyclable and FSC certified* and any new products will be put through an eco-design tool to ensure that they are designed according to the key principles of Pernod Ricard’s circular making strategy.
Further sustainable innovations and changes to packaging within Irish Distillers’ portfolio will see the removal of gift boxes across Powers, the Spot family and Knappogue Castle portfolio by the end of 2025.
Sustainable changes are already being rolled out across the portfolio. Midleton Very Rare 2023, which is due for release in February, will come in a new, high quality recyclable box** instead of the wooden box previously used. The development of the new paper packaging has reduced fossil fuel emissions by 53%, greenhouse gas emissions by 53% and water usage by 39% across the production life cycle in comparison to the previous wooden packaging.
Jameson 18 Years was also recently redesigned and is now presented in a lightweight and fully recyclable cardboard box with Jameson Bow Street 18 Years due to follow suit over the next year. Similarly, Redbreast’s ultra-premium offerings, Redbreast 21 and Redbreast 27 will transition from wooden boxes to fully recyclable secondary packaging by the end of 2025.
“Operating and thinking sustainably is not an option; it is a necessity. In recent years, we have made a number of changes across our operations to support our sustainability and responsibility ambitions. Today, we are announcing new sustainable packaging changes across our portfolio of whiskeys to help reduce waste. We understand that reducing our impact at all stages of our value chain is critical and this includes packaging waste such as cardboard and choosing more sustainable packaging materials. We will continue to apply Pernod Ricard’s key principles: Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Respect, minimising waste at each step of our product lifecycle.”
– Nodjame Fouad, Chairman and CEO, Irish Distillers