Diageo North America announced that its American whiskey Seagram's 7 Crown bottles will now be made from 100% recycled plastic (rPET). The move is a first for the brand and for Diageo.

Diageo North America says it will remove virgin plastic from Seagram's 7 Crown bottles across all its PET formats: 1.75l, 750ml, 375ml and 200ml. This change will reduce the use of virgin plastic by almost 1000 tons annually – the equivalent of removing 100 million 500ml plastic bottles, which, if laid out in a row, would represent 11,957 miles (almost 5 trips between New York and Los Angeles).

The new bottles will be on shelf across the Seagram's 7 Crown range in the United States from the end of June 2020. A variety of the brand's formats in glass bottles will remain alongside the new recycled PET bottles. As stated on the product's label, Diageo encourages consumers to recycle so the material can be used again for bottles or other purposes.

"Great packaging is essential for our brands. Consumers expect our packs to be of the highest quality, while also being functional and sustainable," said Jason Sorley, Brand Director, Diageo North America. "We are very excited to have Seagram's 7 Crown move to 100% recycled PET, reinforcing our commitment to both innovation and minimizing its environmental footprint."

Ronald Holmes, Packaging Director, Diageo North America added: "We continue to take an innovative approach towards delivering sustainable packaging designs and are proud that this move supports our goal to increase recycled content across our brands globally to 45%. Using recycled materials to make packaging reduces the carbon footprint of our brands, raises awareness with consumers, and encourages the industry to follow."