A new pilot program is introducing closed-loop packaging to the cruise industry aboard Carnival Cruise Line ships through a collaboration that includes leading family-owned spirits company Bacardi and innovative circular economy technology company ecoSPIRITS, according to a press release.

The pilot will determine if re-usable containers developed by ecoSPIRITS can be used to serve Bacardi rum on Carnival ships, in turn reducing single-use packaging by 95 percent.

The concept is being tested for three months on three ships operating from Miami: Carnival Celebration, Carnival Horizon and Carnival Sunrise, the company said.

“As we continue to work towards our sustainability goals, the collaborative work of our beverage team, ecoSPIRITS and Bacardi is a great example of thinking in ways that are truly out-of-the-box, or in this case – out-of-the-bottle, to develop new partnerships and practices that further our ongoing efforts,” said Zachary Sulkes, senior director of beverage operations at Carnival Cruise Line.

To support the new collaboration with Bacardi and Carnival, ecoSPIRITS created a specialized version of its patent-pending closed loop glass packaging format, the ecoTOTE3.0SC Cruise Edition, specifically for the maritime environment. Each ecoTOTE replaces approximately four bottles of Bacardi Superior rum and each one is used, cleaned and refilled approximately 100 times, thereby creating a closed loop system.

The rum was selected for the pilot because it is among the most-ordered spirits across the fleet and a staple of some of the craft cocktails most popular with Carnival guests, the company said.

The rum will be transferred from ecoTOTE to serving format using ecoSPIRITS’ SmartPour technology.

New silver and red Bacradi-branded SmartPours will be placed in select bars on the three ships for beverage team members to serve cocktails featuring Bacardi Superior rum.

“As we strive to become the most environmentally responsible global spirits company, we are continuously looking for opportunities to deliver our beautiful drinks in more sustainable packaging and formats, helping us build to a greener future,” said Rodolfo Nervi, Vice President, Global Safety, Quality & Sustainability for Bacardi.

“Innovating in closed loop packaging has been a top priority for us for a number of years, so launching our very first ecoTOTE for BACARDĺ rum on a Carnival cruise ship and seeing the doors this trial will open, is an incredibly exciting step forwards in that journey.”