Being an eco-minded consumer is simply not about the vineyard. It seems the wine industry is banking on consumers wanting and appreciating grapes grown in a prescribed manner that allows for designations such as: sustainable, biodynamic, green, organic, or natural.
As if the grapes were not the only component of winemaking under the long arm of the “wine police”, the winery receives special attention in aspects such as the use of renewable energy (wind and solar), the recycling of water , fermentation additives and closures; if you close
Have you ever thought: What is life after the death of a cork? Well there is one. A whole new industry has sprung up in America that recycles, reuses, and disposes of used cork. You thought you were helping the planet by throwing away your used corks in that mason jar only to occasionally look through them to remember that special wine.
The reuse of cork bucks the recycling trend. In a republished article in “Salon,” author Anna Sanford writes that recycling in California is down about 5 percentage points and that recycling centers are closing primarily because recycled materials, like plastic bottles, are less valuable due to the price of oil and plastic. It is a petroleum derivative. But recycled cork is booming. One organization that focuses on reusing cork for the good of the planet is a non-profit forest organization, Cork Forest Conservation Alliance, (CFCA) that operates Cork harvest.
Cork is an interesting product because a tree is never cut down for the cork. Corks are made from the bark, which is harvested by hand every 9 to 11 years. The trees can be harvested for up to 150 years, without harming the tree. The cork oak is from the oak family, (Quercus suber) so the cork will impart some of the same characteristics as an oak barrel. From an environmental point of view, the carbon footprint for producing a cork is significantly less than for producing metal screw caps or plastic wine stoppers. With convenient recycling methods for the consumer, the carbon footprint for the reuse of used wine corks, through the cork harvest program is virtually zero. Also, there are no active recycling programs for screw caps or plastic caps in the US.
13 billion wine corks are produced each year, with 51% of the wine corks coming from Portugal and 30% from Spain. Cork is natural, non-toxic, biodegradable and is a fully renewable product for the wine industry.
The same cannot be said for aluminum screw caps and plastic closures. There are approximately 26 steps to making a cork for a wine bottle and in an environmental study conducted by “The Academic Wine”, the cork is hands down the best closure from an ecological perspective. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies show that each cork sequesters 9g of CO2.
According to Wikipedia, a carbon footprint study concluded that cork is the greenest wine stopper compared to metal or plastic. The Corticeira Amorim study, (“Analysis of the life cycle of Cork, Aluminum and Plastic Wine Stoppers”), was developed by PricewaterhouseCoopers, following the ISO 14040 standards. The results concluded that, in relation to the emission of greenhouse effect, each plastic stopper releases 10 times more CO2, while an aluminum screw cap releases 26 times more CO2 than a cork stopper in the manufacturing process. The 26 steps, in the analysis of the carbon footprint, are relevant to the manufacture of the cork and includes its arrival at the winery.
As mentioned above, there are two main players in the relatively new cork reuse industry: Cork ReHarvest, which is a 501c3 non-profit organization, and ReCork. I came across Cork ReHarvest while in a Whole Foods store and saw a used cork collection box. I called the Cork Quality Council in Sonoma, CA to find out what this was all about. The Executive Director of the organization is Peter Weber. Peter confirmed that there are two large groups that are active in aggregating used corks through relationships with various retail, hotel and winery locations. “There are probably a dozen smaller organizations that collect used corks for various special applications,” Peter commented.
Cork ReHarvest, as a non-profit organization, uses the used corks they collect for educational programs to raise awareness of cork forests, promote cork applications (wine closures) and explain the ecological benefits of Cork wine. cork as an app. Cork recycling happens quite quickly. ReHarvest reports that approximately 98% of purchased wine is consumed within 48 hours. That means the corks can be returned to the recycled system quickly.
Cork ReHarvest partners with approximately 1,500 collection centers. “In addition to Whole Foods, there are top restaurants like Emeril Lagasse, Mario Batali, Bobby Flay and Caesars Palace that support our recycling program along with top wineries that send us used corks for recycling – we prefer to call it repurposing.” says Patrick Spencer of Cork ReHarvest whose offices are in Salem, Oregon. “We sell collected corks to 6 recycling partners in the US who then distribute them to customers in the US only.” For a winemaker, a “Triple A” grade cork can cost between $1.00 and $1.50 each. A recycler will sell these used corks for approximately $0.09 each in 1000 quantities.
The question remains: what are the used corks for? Part of the recycled cork finds its way into concrete due to its insulating properties. The recycled paper industry uses ground cork combined with reconstituted paper to make packaging material. The sports and fishing industry uses reprocessed cork for bobbers and grips, dart boards, and household items such as trivets. The construction industry uses recycled cork for floor underpayments. Even those sandals that you like can have a cork sole lining.
Four times a year, the non-profit Cork Forest Conservation Alliance runs eco-tours to 3 of Spain’s cork forest regions to give travelers a full immersion in the culture, food, wine and forestry of Cork Forest. these extraordinary forests, http://www.frombarktobottle .org
Cork is the eco-friendly gift that keeps on giving; has a life after the wine is gone.
