Bottle of the Future
The bottle of the future already exists and it’s reusable
Leaders from the global wine industry are taking aim at glass bottle manufacturers in an open letter highlighting the need for alignment in bottle standards.
The ‘Reuse Ready International Charter’ was announced at the London Wine Fair in May, highlighting the opportunities for reusability of wine bottles. The open letter notes that while glass is an “infinitely recyclable material” there are barriers to its reuse which can be remedied.
A sample of 1047 bottles taken from exhibitors at the previous years’ wine fair show “chaos on a big scale”, according to Muriel Chatel of Sustainable Wine Solutions. “There were 947 different types, varying in terms of shape, weight and design. With only 7% of bottles being the same, this creates a significant challenge for reuse. The good news is that 73% of bottles can be reused, giving substantial opportunities for the industry”
Packaging is often the largest contributor to wine’s carbon footprint and therefore it’s essential to address this as part of making the wine industry more sustainable.
We’re encouraged by the possibilities as focusing solely on the New Zealand domestic market, bottles contribute 15,510 tCO2e to the industries footprint, even when accounting for 55% of wineries using lightweight bottles. A reusable bottle can be refilled up to 50 times before needing to be recycled so the potential for emission reductions is vast.
In addition the National Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report 2022 prepared for Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand reported that packaging accounted for 44%of total wine production emissions.
More information can be found at the link below, where you can sign the open letter and get involved.