Building on the partnership's success in its first year, Bulleit brings Diageo's bar and restaurant glass recycling initiative to its home state.
LOUISVILLE, Ky., April 29, 2024 Today, Bulleit Frontier Whiskey announces the launch of the first phase of the successful 'Don't Trash Glass' program in Kentucky. 'Don't Trash Glass' is a bar, restaurant and local business glass recycling program in collaboration with the Glass Packaging Institute and GlassKing Recovery & Recycling to collect used glass bottles and improve regional recycling rates.
As a brand that relies on natural resources to produce quality whiskeys, Bulleit is dedicated to becoming 'sustainable by design.' This means pioneering sustainable practices in every facet of the business to help restore and replenish the resources that go into its whiskeys. The phase one expansion of 'Don't Trash Glass' into Bulleit's home state of Kentucky will further this commitment, especially as Kentucky has one of the lowest glass recycling rates in the nation, 15%*, well below the overall 31.3% national average recycling rate in America**.
"At Bulleit, we're always looking for innovative ways to improve both our production, and whiskey offerings," said Jenika Newsum, Brand Manager at Bulleit. "We owe the success of the first iteration of 'Don't Trash Glass' in Chicago to the amazing bars, restaurants and local business communities who share our common goal of reducing our environmental impact, and we're thrilled to bring this program home to Kentucky to make a difference in our local communities."
The 'Don't Trash Glass' program has collected 2.2 million pounds of glass in Illinois, and is set to continue to grow in popularity as it expands through Kentucky. Local businesses interested in enrolling in 'Don't Trash Glass' can find more information here.
"'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."
Beyond introducing 'Don't Trash Glass' to this key state, 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.
To kick off this program, and in celebration of Earth Month, visitors are encouraged to bring their glass bottles to the Bulleit Distilling Co. Glass Recycling Center from Wednesdays to Saturdays from 10:00am to 5:00pm, and on Sundays from 11:30am to 5:00pm. The Glass Recycling Center is located at the front entrance of the Visitor's Center. Participants can take a photo of themselves recycling their glass bottles and post it to their public Instagram accounts to be entered to win two general admission tickets to the Bourbon & Beyond Festival from September 21-22, 2024 in Louisville. The social media program will run from April 22, 2024 at 12:01am ET, to June 30, 2024 at 11:59pm ET. You must follow and tag @bulleit and use the hashtag #BulleitxDontTrashGlassGiveaway to enter***.
Sustainability at Bulleit Frontier Whiskey
Bulleit's dedication to becoming 'sustainable by design' includes innovating in grain sourcing, production, and packaging. With the design of its Bulleit American Single Malt, Bulleit showcases a sustainably-minded evolution of its trademark bottle with a striking and unique green hue, crafted with post-consumer recycled glass.
Bulleit also brings its 'sustainable-by-design' commitment to life in its distilleries. In 2017, Bulleit opened its state-of-the-art distillery in Shelbyville, KY, with a focus on sustainable practices, including natural habitat protection, water conservation, and local ingredient sourcing. Later, in 2021, Bulleit began production at Diageo's first carbon-neutral distillery, located in Lebanon, KY. Designed with sustainability at its core, the distillery operates using 100% renewable energy, and is built to ensure that fossil fuels are not used during production. Bulleit also continues its partnership with nonprofit American Forests to plant and restore 2.5 million white oak trees by 2026. Replenishing this natural resource is necessary for the ongoing creation of whiskey barrels, to age Bulleit Frontier Whiskey.
Recently, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) selected Diageo North America to begin award negotiations of up to $75 million in funds to support the electrification of two production sites – including the Shelbyville, Kentucky production site, with the goal of making it carbon neutral by 2026.
Society 2030: Spirit of Progress
'Don't Trash Glass' signifies a larger shift from Diageo to improve circularity and reduce waste by increasing recycled content in its packaging. These efforts are key pillars of Diageo's approach to sustainability, outlined in its ten-year action plan: 'Society 2030: Spirit of Progress.'
*According to a 2023 "50 States of Recycling" report
**Per U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) statistics
***NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Must be a U.S. resident, 21+ to enter. DO NOT SHARE PHOTO WITH PERSONS WITH ANYONE UNDER LEGAL DRINKING AGE. Winner selected at random. Winner's guest must be 21+. Alcohol not part of prize. Subject to Official Rules available @bulleit via link in bio. {Not sponsored by Instagram.} Sponsor: Diageo Americas, Inc., New York, NY. Please Drink Responsibly. The Bulleit Distilling Co., Louisville, KY
About Bulleit Frontier Whiskey
Bulleit, founded in 1987, is one of the fastest-growing whiskeys in America. The brand attributes that growth to bartenders and cultural partners who have adopted it as their own. The Bulleit Frontier Whiskey portfolio is distilled and aged in the Bulleit family tradition, using a distinctive high rye recipe, which gives them a bold, spicy, yet distinctively smooth taste. The award-winning Kentucky whiskey most recently won a Double Gold medal for Bulleit 10-Year Old and Gold Medals for Bulleit Bourbon and Bulleit Rye at the 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. In 2017, Bulleit celebrated its 30th anniversary with the opening of a new, state-of-the-art distillery located in Shelbyville, KY. Constructed with a focus on sustainable practices including natural habitat protection, water conservation and local ingredient sourcing. In 2019, a Visitor's Centre at the Bulleit Distilling Co. in Shelbyville opened to share our modern, technological, and sustainable approach to making great whiskey. In 2021, Diageo opened its first carbon-neutral whiskey distillery in Lebanon, KY with Bulleit being the first and leading brand being produced at the site. supplementing existing production at the Bulleit Distilling Co. For more information, visit www.bulleit.com or follow @Bulleit on Instagram.
About 'Don't Trash Glass'
Don't Trash Glass™ is a glass bottle and container recycling program for bars, restaurants and local businesses collected separately from waste and other recyclables. Founded by Glass King Recycling and Recovery in 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona, the program has grown thanks to partners with the Glass Packaging Institute, Glass Recycling Foundation, Diageo along with other companies that are part of the glass recycling value chain. Learn more at gpi.org/dont-trash-glass-program.
About Diageo
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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