Bacardi Goes Green at the Very Top

Bacardi Americas’ headquarters has officially opened for business in Coral Gables, Florida. The move, which consolidates 300 employees previously dispersed over 7 buildings, represents a step towards a more efficient and green-friendly future for the family owned spirits company. The state-of-the-art office building was opened on Thursday, February 4, for which Coral Gables Mayor Don Slesnick was on-site to, officially, declare Bacardi Day.

“South Florida has been our home for more than forty years, and it’s exciting to accomplish our goal of uniting all employees previously spread throughout seven different buildings under one roof,” said John P. Esposito, president and CEO of Bacardi U.S.A., Inc. “Working out of this new location will further strengthen our collaboration, communications, cross-functionality and teamwork to continue to market the most recognized and top-selling spirits in the United States.”

The 15 story, 230,000 square-foot complex is the largest built in Coral gables in many years and boasts the latest IT infrastructure; including voice over IP telephone calls, faster access to Internet-based services, collaboration tools, and rich media intranets, to name a few.

Yet, the prowess of the building's Information Technology has been largely overshadowed by its endowments with Green Technology; and Bacardi is seeking to have it certified under The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating system, as developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Aside from the obvious reduction in corporate travel achieved by the move, the interiors of the building have been designed to be safer and more environmentally friendly in the following areas:

• Water Efficiency
• Energy Use
• Heat Island Reduction
• Protecting Greenfields
• Alternative Transportation
• Indoor Environmental Quality

And this isn't the first time the Bacardi has put its ‘green foot forward’. Last August, Bacardi Canada announced that it was opting to convert from glass bottles to polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles for its carbonated Bacardi Breezer range. PET containers are readily recyclable, and studies from the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) indicate that PET containers reduce waste by more than 90 percent. The move has elicited a positive response from government bodies and consumers alike.

“We are pleased to see more alternative packaging like the Breezer PET containers,” said Chris Layton, LCBO Media Relations, “We encourage more companies to follow Bacardi Canada’s example.” Whether it is Bacardi America or Bacardi Canada, the fact is that the Bacardi family has joined the bandwagon of major corporate industry leaders that are already on the war footing to make this planet a better place to live for all of us.