Plastic-free tipples

Planning a work party and wondering what to drink? Or perhaps climate breakdown has got too much and you need something to take the edge off it! If you feel like having a drink without having an ethical shopping crisis then check out these brands who have developed plastic-free packaging and reducing the environmental impacts of their products.

Read to the bottom for our tips on choosing the office party booze. Cheers!

Mermaid Gin

The Isle of Wight Distillery spent a year redesigning their bottle to remove all plastic elements:

The bottle is sealed with natural cork with a paper film rather than a plastic seal
The glue is even plastic-free
For local pubs, residents and people visiting their Isle of Wight distillery they have a refill service available
And the bottle is so beautiful you would want to refill it and reuse it

Mermaid Gin from the Isle of Wight Brewery

Duette

This start-up business was committed to creating a beautiful Brut beer, with a sustainable triple bottom line approach to their business. They were horrified that the only packaging available to them for mail-order was non-recyclable plastics:

After despairing that there was only polystyrene or poly bags available for drinks packaging they approached Flexi-Hex surfboard packaging for a solution.
The result is a stylish cardboard sleeve which is part of the unwrapping experience for customers.
Initially UKMail would only accept plastic mailing bags, however Duette negotiated to allow them to send cardboard boxes
They also use paper gum tape which can be recycled with the cardboard

Duette Brut Beer

Small Beer Company

Did you know it takes 10 pints of water to make one pint of beer?

The Small Beer company set out to reduce the water and environmental footprints of their beer:

They only use 1.5 pints of beer to brew one beer
They operate a ‘Dry Floor’ policy. The only one that they have come across in the brewing industry and clean their brewery with recovered heat & water.
Their electricity supply is 100% wind, sun & sea and their 12% of their gas is green and the remainder is frack-free.
All their labels, boxes and business cards are all 100% recycled

Small Beer Company

Toast

Did you know that 44% of bread is never eaten?

Toast is on a mission to save the world and tackle food waste, one beer at a time. It is affiliated with the food waste campaigning organisation Feedback.

Toast is made from surplus fresh bread from bakeries and sandwich makers
To date it has rescued over 1 million slices of bread which also saves the need for barley production, irrigation and land usage
They donate 100% of their profits to charity partners Feedback and other food waste campaigns
Their recipe is also available open-source if you fancy making a brew
Toast

Tips for choosing your office party booze

Here are some credentials to look out for when you are choosing the booze:

If you need a lot of beer, look for a local store or brewery where you can purchase a returnable barrel
Look for vegan ales and wines to avoid the animal finings that are used
Choose local, UK or European suppliers to reduce travel miles
Look for Fairtrade wine- yes this is even available in the Co-Op
Choose organic where possible
Ask suppliers what they are doing to reduce waste, water and plastic-packaging