Maker’s Mark has saved and repurposed 272,000 lbs. of glass at its B-Corp certified distillery. The glass is used as a soil additive – preserving soil banks onsite and supporting distillery gardening, restoration and beautification projects. Ninety-seven percent of glass at Maker’s Mark is upcycled this way.

Building on the spirit and ambition guiding the distillery, Maker’s Mark is taking the same glass pulverizing process into grocery stores. The result has been a first-of-its-kind upcycling partnership – one aimed at augmenting traditional recycling programs.

Our creative idea was to turn a point of consumption (i.e., grocery stores) into a point of glass upcycling. We wanted to crush the consumer mindset that traditional recycling is good enough by educating them on a new process of upcycling bottles into reusable soil mix. To achieve this, we created a fresh new look, mixing live flowers with broken glass to communicate that every single empty bottle is full of potential.

To create a real impact (i.e., reducing the amount of glass ending up in landfills), Maker’s Mark would need to get lapsed or convenience recyclers to feel new (or renewed) energy for recycling their used and excess glass by unveiling an engaging, new way to recycle – one with an obvious impact on the communities that are participating.

As a pilot program, glass pulverizers were installed at seven Kroger locations – the nation’s largest grocery chain. During a five-week period, mass displays and promotional posters called shoppers to bring in their bottles and excess glass to be pulverized – on-site – and then distributed to local gardening and conservation organizations.