Montanya Distillers Goes Plastic Neutral to Combat Plastic Epidemic

Montanya Distillers, a craft rum distillery and Certified B Corporation, is now certified Plastic Neutral. The company has partnered with rePurpose Global to fund the collection, processing, and reuse of more than 1,000 pounds of plastic waste. This total equals how much plastic Montanya uses across its operations. By making this bold commitment, every Montanya rum purchase now carries a Net Zero Plastic Footprint.

Through this partnership, Montanya enables the removal of plastic waste otherwise landfilled, burned, or flushed into the oceans every year. rePurpose Global, in partnership with Montanya, supports vetted waste management social enterprise CarPe in India to collect and process hard-to-recycle waste streams otherwise too low value to be reclaimed from the environment, such as chocolate wrappers, chips packets, and similar flexible packing items.

By going Plastic Neutral, Montanya not only tackles a $50 billion/year funding gap that plagues recycling supply chains worldwide, but also adds a crucial income stream for more than 50 waste pickers and their families in India. Today, informal waste workers often earn less than $5/day, work in precarious conditions, and face severe discrimination despite providing a crucial societal service for cities across the developing world. Through this initiative, Montanya is boosting these waste workers’ income by attaching value to hard-to-recycle plastics, while supporting experienced recycling social enterprises who holistically uplift ex-waste pickers through occupational safety, health insurance, and skills training.

Montanya has long recognized the grave threat that plastic pollution poses to the future of our planet and intends to take even further action against this epidemic. It will also work with rePurpose Global to reduce the future use of virgin plastics in its manufacturing and delivery process to build a more circular model.

“We love rum, however we love our planet and community even more,” said Karen Hoskin, Montanya’s founder and owner. “We’ve been on a mission to eliminate single-use plastic from our packaging, our rum education events, and our tasting room. rePurpose Global is the perfect partner to help us go the final mile.”

Montanya’s commitment to sustainability can be traced back to its first moments of operation.

“Our mission has always been to offer the highest quality product while creating a deep, positive impact on the world,” continued Hoskin. “We truly believe in the power of business to create long-lasting change and to be a force for good.”

You can learn more about this partnership at https://www.business.repurpose.global/montanyadistillers and all of Montanya’s sustainable commitments at https://www.montanyarum.com/a-force-for-good. Montanya also recently produced a 2020 impact report, which you can find at https://www.montanyarum.com/blog/2020/12/28/measuring-our-impact-in-2020.

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