12 minute read
The other way to drink responsibly
There is a big a focus on the environmental impact of the food we eat, however what about the tipples we enjoy?
There’s a reason that the ecological impact of alcohol isn’t high on the list of topics spoken about at your local; it can be a sobering topic. So as something that is not so great for you, how does an alcohol brand do good? Recently, the International Wine and Spirits Commission set a standard that brands must meet to be considered sustainable. This encompasses repurposing eff orts (including recycling casks, sourcing alternative energy and reducing plastics), supporting the local economy, as well as conscious ingredient sourcing and use.
A hangover to confront
Distilleries are reinventing the manufacturing process. The Macallan Harmony Collection Rich Cacao uses materials from the natural world at the end of their life, to see them reborn, like the paper of the box packaging which uses residues from cacao husks. Two Drifters Distillery, the world’s fi rst carbon-negative distillery, is run on 100% renewable energy. The material of the bottle features a natural cork with a FSC wooden top, 100% compostable tamper seal, paper labels made from 95% sugarcane fi bre, and 5% hemp and linen.
Meanwhile Bullard Spirits have made the switch to Eco-Refi ll Pouches, while using less energy to produce, transport and deliver. You can reuse your bottle for life to help minimise carbon footprint.
For those looking to avoid a sore head, as well as environmental footprint, Bax Botanics, a premium sustainable low-alcohol and non-alcoholic brand use ethically sourced herbs and botanicals. They utilise recyclable and recycled packaging alongside bottle labels printed on material that is a byproduct from the sugar industry.
A new take on “drinking and driving”
According to Drinkaware, the average Brit drinks 22 units of alcohol per week, which is the equivalent of around eight pints of beer, seven glasses of wine or six double shots of gin. This means that the average Brit creates the same amount of CO2 from drinking alcohol as driving between 6km and 21km in a car.
Producing a pint of locally brewed cask ale emits 300g of CO2, the equivalent of driving a car 1.5 miles. Brewing a litre of it needs around 350 litres of water, demand for which is set to outstrip supply by 40% in a decade, according to the UN.
One facet of building a sustainable brand is lessening the environmental impact of production facilities. Koskenkorva Vodka Climate Action, a Finnish spirit, is made from a unique method using regenerativelyfarmed barley that removes CO2 from the atmosphere and stores it in the ground, creating carbon sinks. The process improves biodiversity, stops nutrients leaking into water bodies and provides better crops at the same time.
In the spotlight The Hidden Sea
The Hidden Sea team have a very clear purpose. One wine, one mission. Their consumer promise is very clear – for every bottle of The Hidden Sea bought, they will remove 10 plastic bottles from the ocean and recycle them. Available in Sainsbury’s and Co-op now. Sustainable sipping
Eco-friendly production initiatives are a cornerstone for a brand’s eco impact. However a major part in a brand’s holistic environmental footprint can be employee welfare. Gusto Organic Drinks use agave in all their drinks as a sweetener in place of sugar. Scientists believe that agave-based agroforestry could help reverse global warming as they can grow in hot climates with little to no irrigation. Plus, for every kilo of Fairtrade agave they purchase, 15% of the purchase price goes back to farmers and their families. Sustainability can also include using your brand as a platform. Pernod Ricard announced Plymouth Gin’s long-term partnership with the Ocean Conservation Trust as part of a mission to drive awareness of the importance of a healthy ocean. The distillery team regularly support the charity with beach cleans across the area.
So don’t take the fi zz off the ice just quite yet; there’s plenty of drinks brands doing their part for the planet.
by Laura Forsyth
Businesses see big benefi ts in using EMBACO’s recycled packaging
Recycled packaging is a key driver in stopping food and product waste and reducing your business’ carbon footprint
Founder of The Turmeric Co., Thomas Robson-Kanu, describes why he chose recycled packaging for his business: “We are passionate about providing the highest-quality functional health shots to our customers, and believe that highquality packaging goes hand in hand with this. Sustainability is at the core of The Turmeric Co., and is a key driver of our decision-making processes. Our customers share our passion for sustainability, so o ering fully recyclable packaging is a non-negotiable for us.”
Thomas continues: “That’s why our packaging supplier, EMBACO is the perfect fi t for The Turmeric Co. Their sustainable priorities align with our company values, so partnering with them was a great step towards our brand being as eco-friendly as possible.
We also have our Recycling Return Initiative, which allows customers to return their used packaging for recycling – free of charge!”
Ultimately, The Turmeric Co. would like their footprint to shrink as their business grows having recently achieved a carbon neutral status; they are always looking for ways that they can make their drinks as good for the planet as they are for your body, and EMBACO are with them on the journey.
Learn more at theturmeric.co and use code TURMERIC10 for 10% off a one-time purchase!
Working to create a world of better packaging
Packaging that is good for people and the planet is what many businesses are looking for, and that is at the heart of what EMBACO do.
Established in Copenhagen in 2011, they have become one of Europe’s leading suppliers of high-quality, customisable, and sustainable packaging.
New bottles made from used bottles
Their recycled plastic bottles and jars are made in Europe using renewable energy sources and are most suited to food, beverage, personal, health, and home-care products.
Environmentally-conscious brands, contract fi llers, private labels, and wholesalers choose EMBACO and so their packaging can be seen in stores throughout the UK.
EMBACO use recycled PET (rPET), specifi cally post-consumer recycled plastic (PCR PET) to produce their bottles and jars.
What is rPET?
rPET is recycled polyethylene terephthalate – or recycled PET plastic.
It is the most common material used for bottles sold in retail stores containing smoothies, juices, sauces and carbonated beverages.
It has the recycling symbol 1, and is the only plastic that can be recycled back into food-grade rPET packaging, multiple times.
How is rPET made?
rPET is produced by collecting and sorting post-consumer recycled (PCR) PET – usually recycled bottles. These are cleaned, melted and refi ned into fl akes, then dried to form a granulate that can be turned into new products.
The benefi ts of rPET
The benefi cial impact of rPET is in its creation – reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 71% (compared with Virgin PET) and requiring 79% less energy to produce*. This gives rPET a far smaller carbon footprint, at under a quarter of regular PET*. rPET has all of the benefi ts of regular PET bottles and jars, with some added extras: • Less plastic going to landfi ll • Reducing the need to extract resources from the earth • Encouraging bottle return schemes and post-consumer recycling programmes.
Almost all of EMBACO’s clients include recycled content in their bottles and jars, the most popular recipe is at least 30% rPET. rPET is in high demand, and the growth of the recycled packaging industry relies on supply – correct disposal and recycling of PET is of the utmost importance for this industry to survive. You should always throw used bottles in the recycling, it could go toward making the next bottle you use.
Actions for impact
Using recycled materials is one important factor within the chain of sustainable packaging supply, but there are many other CO2 and waste reductions to look at.
EMBACO know that creating a better tomorrow means taking action today, so they have become experts in comprehensive sustainable innovations that support their client’s goals.
Their mission is to empower clients to make the best decision for their business by advising on the most sustainable choice.
In 2020, they undertook a CO2 analysis as a guidepost for how to improve and are working to reduce the impact of their packaging throughout the entire life cycle: design, production, delivery and disposal.
Making the right heating choice for your home – how heat pump technology can work for you
Heating using existing fossil fuel boilers means that homes and buildings are the second largest contributor to the total carbon emissions emitted by the UK* and therefore the way homes are heated will need to change in order for the UK to meet its net-zero emissions targets.
To help the UK achieve its targets, earlier this month, the government published its Heat in Building Strategy, which highlighted Heat Pumps as the main solution to decarbonising heating, making the technology a hot topic right now.
As part of these ambitions, a new upfront £5,000 government grant will be available for households under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme from April 2022. This grant promotes the generation of clean heat from low-carbon technologies such as heat pumps. So, what are heat pumps and how can the technology heat a home?
Heat pumps are a renewable alternative to gas and oil for heating homes and come in two main types – air source and ground source. Air source heat pumps extract heat from the air and use this energy to provide heating and hot water. It actually works in a similar way to a refrigerator, just in reverse. They are also highly effi cient, using one unit of energy to generate three units of heat energy.
Ground source pumps work on the same principle, except water is piped along coils in the ground to absorb heat and are more suited to homes with a signifi cant amount of outdoor space. Both types of pumps use electricity which can come from renewable sources, unlike commonly used gas and oil boilers which burn fossil fuels.
Heat pumps are a sustainable, reliable and proven technology. Research from Mitsubishi Electric shows that a heat pump generates 10 times fewer carbon emissions than a gas boiler over its 15-year lifecycle. Furthermore, as the UK generates electricity via renewable means such as solar and wind power, and as the electricity grid gets greener, heat pumps automatically take advantage of this to further reduce the homeowner’s carbon footprint.
The Government considers heat pumps to be a futureproofed, noregrets way of heating homes and is considered to be the backbone of the UK’s ambition to reach its net-zero goal. Unlike other green alternative technologies, this is a technology that is readily available now, and can be installed by heating engineers that are used to
working with fossil fuel boilers.
Russell Dean, head of residential heating at Mitsubishi Electric, says: “The Heat in Buildings Strategy will drive a phase out of fossil fuel heating systems over the next decade or so and future regulation is likely to shift taxation of electricity to fossil fuels. This means it’s important to make a conscious e ort to equip all homes with sustainable heating systems, particularly when we are all likely to face further volatility in energy prices in the future.”
Heat pumps will become more aff ordable under the new government grant scheme, bringing the cost of installing one in line with fi tting a new gas boiler to meet incoming regulations. Additionally, guidance from the
An Ecodan heat pump will heat your radiators, underfloor heating and hot water Energy Saving Trust advises that heat pumps can reduce heating bills in the long run by several hundred pounds a year.
Mitsubishi Electric have an established range of heat pumps, which are available in diff erent capacities to suit any size of home. The award-winning Ultra Quiet model has been developed over 10 years specifi cally for UK homes and is whisper quiet; capable of delivering heat to a home whilst being as quiet as a library. Heat pump technology is widely used to heat homes all across Scandinavia and has been for many decades. An Ecodan heat pump can operate effi ciently, even when the outdoor temperatures are as low as -20°C, making them suitable for the diverse climates found across the UK.
While moving away from a gas boiler may seem new, heat pump technology isn’t – in fact, the technology has been around for many years, with the fi rst largescale heat pump installed in the UK in 1945. Mitsubishi Electric are pioneers of the heat pump industry and have used over a decade of experience to ensure that marketleading products and customer service are enjoyed by existing and future customers.
Every home is diff erent; however, homeowners can fi nd a heat pump solution that suits them and help the UK to reduce its impact on the environment at the same time.
From the Isle of Skye to the Isle of Wight, thousands of UK households are already benefi tting from reliable, renewable heating with Ecodan air source heat pumps from Mitsubishi Electric. Ecodan air source heat pumps can lower your energy costs, lower your carbon emissions and make you eligible for Government grants including the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) payments. So why not make the switch today?
Find out more
To fi nd out more about an Ecodan and speak to an expert about how your home can be heated with one, go to ecodan.me.uk/heatpumps
