Thirsty Birds co-founder Amy Roberts with her low-waste packaging
Naturally, it’s aimed at wine producers, importers, exporters, retailers and wholesalers. I’m none of those, but I read it anyway, because as a wine drinker, I also have a strong interest in the container that gets this precious liquid cargo safely from the winery into my hands. I care what it looks like, how it’s presented, but I also know that its environmental impact can be significant. So here are my key takeaways from the report, as well as some packaging trends we might see in the near future…
• A shift towards reusable bottles and deposit return systems, with packaging designed with reuse and recycling in mind from the outset. It will take consumer participation and efficient systems to get these off the ground.
• Recycling infrastructure varies, not just globally or nationally but between towns and cities. In order to achieve their full environmental potential, reusable glass, rPET and aluminium require the right infrastructure to be in place. Just because something is recyclable doesn’t mean it’s recycled. Take corks. I’ve been merrily popping my corks into my recycling bin – natural cork is, after all, fully recyclable. In fact, the UK doesn’t offer efficient recycling options for cork. Unless dropped at, or sent to, official cork collection points, it’s landfill or incineration – but they can be chopped up and added to your compost as they’re biodegradable!
• Expect to see more bag-in-boxes, ‘paper’ bottles, rPET bottles, cans and kegs (wines on tap) on the market. I welcome the increase of high quality wines in these formats, although unless the use of bio-based alternatives to plastic increases and more efficient regional plastic recycling develops, these formats may not be that long-lived. Look out for innovative, low-impact design solutions, too, such as biodegradable and wash-off labels, and inks made from vegetables or algae.
• Packaging regulations will become stricter globally, with measures that focus on recyclability, reuse and reducing waste. Negative-impact packaging – heavy glass bottles and single-use plastics – will incur higher taxes; producers will need to move to recyclable and low-impact materials to avoid higher costs, meaning for us, buying wines in low-impact packaging should become the cheaper option. Win. It needs to be made economically unviable for producers to use heavy bottles and regulation is the fastest way to make that happen. But we can make an impact ourselves, too. Our buying decisions make ripples in the vast pond of wine production.
Producers can use the Porto Protocol guide, with the most up-to-date analysis of packaging and materials at every stage in their life, to find ways to change and improve their packaging to minimise their environmental impact. All it needs is for us wine drinkers to keep an open mind and embrace the innovation that follows.
PET and rPET
PET is a type of plastic – polyethylene terephthalate – typically produced from crude oil and commonly used for food and drink containers; rPET is made from recycled PET products. Wine bottles can be made from both materials, making them very lightweight, meaning lower carbon emissions during transportation. Both are technically 100% recyclable, although not infinitely. What’s more, the raw material is still ultimately fossil fuel-derived, and if not disposed of correctly, can lead to microplastic pollution.
Sip to make a difference
Thirsty Birds, Pinot Gris, Sussex, England 2023
Score: 88
£19-£28/75cl Babylon Eco Centre, Borough Wines, Camber Wines, Palate Bottle Shop, Spy Wines, Tenaya Wine, Thirsty Birds
This is a crisp, zesty, tart and zingy Pinot Gris sourced from a single vineyard in Sussex. It’s available in 1.5L pouches (£36 thirsty-birds.com), kegs and reusable, lightweight, capsuleless bottles, keeping transport emissions as low as possible and packaging waste to an absolute minimum….
Source : https://www.decanter.com/wine/the-ethical-drinker-packaging-what-lies-ahead-550431/
