Diageo North America expands ‘Don’t Trash Glass’ partnership to increase glass recycling across strategic regions in the U.S.
05 März 2024 - 3:00PM
Business Wire
- In 2023, this glass recycling program for businesses collected
2.2 million pounds of glass in Illinois.
- ‘Don’t Trash Glass’ is now launching in Kentucky to empower
local businesses to help increase the region’s volume of recycled
glass.
Diageo North America announces 2.2 million pounds of glass
collected in its first-year partnership with ‘Don’t Trash Glass’ in
Illinois and is now expanding to the state of Kentucky. ‘Don’t
Trash Glass’ is a campaign in collaboration with the Glass
Packaging Institute and GlassKing Recovery & Recycling, to
encourage more bars, restaurants and local businesses to collect
used glass bottles and improve regional recycling rates.
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“‘Don’t Trash Glass’ is an exciting partnership that has shown a
promising first year of impact to improve regional glass collection
and advance circularity across our customer value chain in the
Chicagoland area,” said Jayant Kairam, Vice President, Society
for Diageo North America. “We believe that working collectively
with local businesses and the hospitality sector will generate
lasting solutions that support communities and advance our
sustainable by design goals. It is why we are extremely excited
about expanding our partnership and taking the program to Kentucky,
home to some of our most iconic brands like Bulleit, Blade &
Bow, and I.W. Harper.”
Initiatives like this have the potential to improve glass
recycling rates in states. Per U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) statistics, the overall glass recycling rate in America is
31.3%. A more recent analysis indicates that Illinois and Kentucky
are both below the national average. Through ‘Don’t Trash Glass’,
Diageo North America has the goal to help increase glass recycling
in both states where the company has multiple production
facilities.
Investing and creating a more circular economy in American
cities
The ‘Don’t Trash Glass’ pilot program launched in 2021 in the
Greater Chicago area. A 2023 partnership with Diageo’s Smirnoff
brand supported the collection of ready-to-recycle glass from bars,
restaurants and local businesses. Once collected, bottles are
stored temporarily to eventually be processed by regional glass
suppliers, aiming to keep this material out of landfills.
“The ‘Don’t Trash Glass’ program was incredibly flexible to meet
our needs," said Eric Rose, Partner, Bub City in Rosemont,
IL. “The service is seamless and turnkey, and we are thrilled
to be able to have a positive environmental impact.”
In 2023 the program collected more than 2.2 million pounds of
glass from more than 50 businesses. As ‘Don’t Trash Glass’
continues to grow the number of establishments participating in
Illinois, more cities have joined the campaign including Evanston,
Rosemont, and Waukegan.
"This partnership with Diageo North America has been critical to
ensure we’re showing more local businesses how easy it is to
recycle glass in their community," said Scott DeFife, President
of the Glass Packaging Institute. "Not only that, but we’re
seeing more interest from more cities and local officials across
the state of Illinois which demonstrates scaling the program is
possible."
According to a 2023 "50 States of Recycling" report, Kentucky
has a 15% glass recycling rate. Packed with potential, the ‘Don’t
Trash Glass’ program is expected to start operating in the state
this spring and support efforts to increase glass recycling in the
region.
Since 2019, Diageo has invested nearly $290 million in Kentucky
and its operations support over 1,700 jobs in the state across the
distribution, retail and hospitality sectors. Diageo actively
participates in the thriving bourbon economy and operates multiple
sites in Kentucky, including a first-of-its-kind carbon-neutral
Bulleit distillery in Lebanon, the Bulleit Distilling Company and
Visitor Experience in Shelbyville and Stitzel-Weller in
Louisville.
“We are grateful to our partners Diageo, GPI, and are excited to
welcome new partners as we grow,” said Rose King, Chief
Operating Officer of GlassKing Recovery & Recycling. “Don’t
Trash Glass is an initiative where partners can see the impact of
their commitment on local businesses and the circularity of
bottles.”
Committed to introducing more sustainable packaging
Improving circularity and reducing waste are priorities for
Diageo and its brands. The efforts from the ‘Don’t Trash Glass’
program contribute to the company's commitment to increase recycled
content and reimagine its iconic glass packaging –key pillars of
Diageo's approach to sustainability outlined in its ten-year action
plan, 'Society 2030: Spirit of Progress'. Other initiatives to
transform the company’s packaging footprint in North America
include:
- Reducing weight in Diageo’s primary scotch portfolio by moving
some of our bottles into standard, more lightweight formats.
- Last fiscal year, Diageo removed 141 million cartons from some
of its Johnnie Walker and other scotch brands across the world. In
North America, this effort began with Johnnie Walker Black, Johnnie
Walker Double Black, Buchanan’s Deluxe 12 YO and Buchanan’s
Master.
- Over the past several years, the company has removed over 600
tons of corrugated cardboard packaging by optimizing its carton
dividers and shipping boxes in North America.
Read more about Diageo’s approach to reimagining the future of
packaging. Find out more about Don’t Trash Glass at
https://www.gpi.org/dont-trash-glass-program.
About Diageo North America
Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an
outstanding collection of brands including Johnnie Walker, Crown
Royal, Bulleit and Buchanan's whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel
One vodkas, Casamigos, DeLeon and Don Julio tequilas, Captain
Morgan, Baileys, Tanqueray and Guinness.
Diageo is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: DEO)
and the London Stock Exchange (LSE: DGE) and their products are
sold in more than 180 countries around the world. For more
information about Diageo, their people, brands, and performance,
visit www.diageo.com. Visit Diageo's global responsible drinking
resource, www.DRINKiQ.com, for information, initiatives, and ways
to share best practice. Follow on Twitter and Instagram for news
and information about Diageo North America: @Diageo_NA.
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Luis Rabago Luis.rabago@diageo.com
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