London 22 May 2024 – Rémy Cointreau and ecoSPIRITS have announced a four-year global licensing agreement, bolstering their existing partnership in the United Kingdom and launching in the United States, with other global markets to follow. The collaboration will see the commercial scale-up of the existing pilot project in the UK, which started in early 2023 when two Rémy Cointreau brands -Cointreau and Mount Gay were introduced in ecoSPIRITS’ circular packaging technology to select on-trade venues, predominantly in the London area. The new global agreement also provides a framework for Rémy Cointreau to make its iconic liqueur and spirit brands available in ecoSPIRITS’ technology in more markets around the world over the coming years.  

In January 2023, ecoSPIRITS and Rémy Cointreau jointly launched closed loop service in the United Kingdom, with two of the producer’s iconic brands – Cointreau orange liqueur and Mount Gay Eclipse rum – made available in co-branded ecoTOTE™ format for on-trade venues in London. The UK launch also marked another milestone in ecoSPIRITS’ journey to develop industry-leading circular technology when the co-branded SmartPour 2.0S Cointreau Edition became the first SmartPour™ to be specifically tailored for liqueurs.  

Many London venues, such as the four-strong Mexican restaurant chain, El Pastor, have seen a significant reduction in single use glass waste by taking Cointreau in ecoTOTE format.  The success of the original collaboration between ecoSPIRITS and Rémy Cointreau has now led to the scaling up of the UK operations, to make Cointreau – a staple ingredient in the original Margarita – more widely available in closed loop packaging. In recent months Cointreau in ecoTOTE format was rolled out across The Alchemist’s key London sites with plans to cover all 23 of The Alchemists locations nationwide by December 2024. Meanwhile, many iconic venues across the UK, such as the award-winning cocktail bar and rum lounge, Trailer Happiness, have been taking delivery of Mount Gay rum in ecoTOTE format. 

In addition to the commercial scale up in the UK, ecoSPIRITS and Rémy Cointreau have also cemented plans to extend into the United States. This launch will focus on Las Vegas, Nevada, a city known for its casinos and high volume beverage operations. Cointreau will become the first global brand available in ecoTOTE format in the United States, and it will be deployed to venues from ecoSPIRITS’ existing ecoPLANT in Las Vegas, before looking into expanding further in the country. 

The global licensing agreement with ecoSPIRITS is another step for Rémy Cointreau in its overall commitment to sustainable practices. In 2023 it announced its Sustainable Exception roadmap to reduce glass bottle usage and this expanded partnership marks a significant step in achieving its ambitious goals across its portfolio. The company has also pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 50% per bottle by 2030 and plans to move towards Net Zero by 2050.  

Élisabeth Tona, Rémy Cointreau CEO Liqueurs & Spirits, said: “We are thrilled to see the warm welcome our joint initiative received from our UK on-trade partners. This first pilot, successfully led by our both teams, is now ready to expand not only in other key British cities but also in one of the Group’s leading markets, the United States. This initiative is a great example of how our Group and its partners can collectively contribute to reduce single-use glass bottles. It is also a great step in our Sustainable Exception roadmap.”   

“Thanks to this partnership, we achieved to reach a CO2 reduction of over 80% per bottle and a packaging reduction of 90% on the scope. Specifically on Cointreau in London -which represents 13 iconic bars, 5 tons of CO2 has been saved in 12 months”, completes Thomas Decré, Innovation Packaging Manager at Rémy Cointreau. 

Paul Gabie, CEO, ecoSPIRITS, said: “We are pleased to be in partnership with Rémy Cointreau and to be part of this industry leader’s journey on its Sustainable Exception roadmap. Rémy Cointreau was our first global brand partner in the United Kingdom and we are delighted this relationship is now being taken to the next level with a deeper commitment to the circular economy and plans to expand significantly, not only within the UK, but other global markets.” 

James Doyle, Senior Vice President, Sales & Customer Success at ecoSPIRITS, said: “This has been a successful partnership in the UK since we first started working together in 2023 and we are delighted Cointreau liqueur and Mount Gay rum are being made available in ecoTOTE format to new venues nationwide. We are also looking forward to working together to launch Cointreau liqueur in circular packaging technology in the United States, starting with Las Vegas.”