Bacardi is endeavoring to
be as green as possible in it operations.
In this light they have come out with sunglasses that are made from oak
rum barrels that have run their course as aging barrels. The barrels are disassembled and the staves
are cut into the pieces for the sunglasses.
BACARDÍ at the rum factory outside San Juan, Puerto Rico, they chip up
some old barrels for mulch or reused for planters an chairs among other uses. Today
they are transforming them by hand into
artisan-crafted eye wear so customers can both drink and wear BACARDÍ.
“With sights set on seeing a net-zero impact, the Company’s eco-friendly,
reclaimed-wood eyewear innovations metaphorically promote our eco-focus and
allow clients to take a new, ‘greener’ view with wearable, sustainable art that
actually protects their eyes,” says Maggie Matias, managing director for the
Bacardi Visitor Centre, who is based at the world’s largest premium rum
distillery. Certified craftsmen make
the eye wear manually in a time consuming process of assembling, sanding and
finishing the frames producing these unique wood framed sunglasses. There are four exclusive and stylish lines of
sunglasses, each pair features a carved BACARDÍ bat logo at the temple as well
as Italian polarized lenses. The
wooden-framed BACARDÍ eye wear hits the mark with several designs that highlight
the wood grain and texture. Details like
sharp lines, soft curves and green materials make the line of sunglasses
universal for all. The lenses come in
cobalt blue or sunrise orange, while the frames, each unique, come in blond
wood and dark chestnut hues. The sunglasses will retail for US$195 each,
are light and comfortable to wear and are only sold at the Casa BACARDÍ Visitor
Centre Store in Cataño, Puerto Rico.
“At Bacardi, our challenge is to
think in new, creative ways to help the environment and our consumers. This is
just one example of how we recycle materials to give them new life and ensure
that nothing goes to waste, and this is part of our long-term view for the
future,” adds Eduardo Vallado Moreno, vice president for Supply Chain and
Manufacturing for Bacardi in the Americas, whose responsibility includes the
Puerto Rico facility.
