Improving the ecological quality of products
A CSR management committee focused on eco-design was created two years ago. It is responsible for sensitising teams on reducing the environmental impact of packaging. Employees from the Sourcing, Marketing and Product Development departments are now all trained in eco-design via a dedicated training module that has already generated significant results in terms of integrating environmental impact considerations into the product development process.
Rémy Cointreau strives to guarantee sustainable consumption and production models in its product development with great attention paid to the eco-design of its packaging, in an effort to significantly reduce the environmental impact of its activities.
A research programme on packaging eco-design has been launched to optimise the environmental performance of its packaging. In 2017, Rémy Cointreau conducted the first environmental assessments of its packaging based on environmental criteria, with a unique score allocated to each one, thereby making it possible to quickly compare the performance of various packaging types. Since March 2018, the Angers and Cognac sites have been using a tool to measure the Environmental Performance Index (EPI), which takes into account the broadest possible life cycle and incorporates 14 indicators, such as the use of materials and energy, waste production, and the carbon impact of products and their packaging. The result produces a unique environmental score for each item and enables the Group to have a more thorough understanding of its environmental impact across the entire production chain and, ultimately, to optimise the performance of new packaging. From now on, all new products or product developments will be “measured” using this tool. The Group’s whisky brands will implement the same approach by 2021.
Preserving water resources to secure the future
In its Domaines, the House of RémyMartin this year opened a wholly new distillery comprising eight pot stills in the traditional Charente style. The installation groups several winemaking points on a single site, in order to make the best of the grape’s aromatic quality of the grapes. This unique winemaking point allows for economies of scale in terms of energy and water use. The choice of location for this new distillery was based on the requirement of naturally sloped land to reduce energy consumption by limiting pumping actions. The residue recovered at the end of the eaux-de-vie distillation is collected and sent to the regional REVICO unit, which turns it into biogas. This energy then powers the REVICO distillation columns and various facilities in the city of Cognac, such as greenhouses.
In Barbados, where the oldest rum in the world is made, Rémy Cointreau helps local farmers to better manage their effluents and protect the island’s resources.
To that end, Mount Gay helps local producers to install water management infrastructures in their farms, and conducts thorough water consumption studies. Some of the residue is spread across a part of the island of Barbados; that aids the natural fertilisation and water intake of agricultural land. This action is implemented in partnership with local environmental bodies. It forms part of a circular economy approach.
