My Latest in Wine Business Monthly 

December 2023 issue:

“Wineries Look to Bottle Reuse to Boost Sustainability, Consumer Interest”

by L.M. Archer

“Bringing the bottle back is a massive behavioral shift that needs to take place in our society. I think the motiviation to do it needs to be driven by a real feeling that it’s important that we do this.

In the U.S., we’re just not raised that way. A lot of us don’t even really understand what happens to our waste once we throw it away.

We just are in the habit of putting it in a bin that we’re told to put it in, and then we don’t think about it.” – Melissa Saunders, MW | Communal Brands

 

Ever wonder about bottle reuse? It’s a ‘circular’ system dating back ages, yet only recently regaining ground.

Basically, people buy a beverage, drink it, return the bottle for washing and refilling, and the cycle starts again.

Because bottles account for over a third of winemaking costs, bottle reuse helps wineries reduce both overhead AND their carbon footprint.

Bottle reuse also mitigates valuable glass-making resource drawdowns, like sand.

You can find out more in my latest feature for the Wine Business Monthly Magazine December 2023 print edition, pages 94-97. (Subscribers link here.)

Learn about successful bottle reuse programs in the US and EU, common misperceptions about recycling, and gain insights from industry thought leaders like Melissa Saunders of eco-conscious importer/distributor Communal Brands.

Melissa wrote her Master of Wine thesis on “Wine Retailers & The Environmental impact of Packaging,” and ranks among the nation’s most passionate bottle reuse advocates.

It Takes a Village…

Truthfully, it took a long time to bring this story to publication, but it was well worth the wait.

Many thanks to my editors at Wine Business Monthly for providing a platform to share this important topic, and to all the industry professionals who helped make this story possible:

Diana Snowden Seysses – Domaine Dujac/Cousins Wine

Marta Mendoça & Cristina Crava – The Porto Protocol

Muriel Chantal – Sustainable Wine Solutions

Vignerons Associés Des Monts de Bourgogne

Dr. Ingrid Winter – Styrian Glass Reuse Project

Scott Defife – Glass Packaging Institute (GPI)

Eric Chambers – Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative (OBRC)

Melissa Saunders – Communal Brands

Loraine Scott – Acheson Wine Company

Lowell Jooste –  LJ Crafted Wines

I’m delighted to share this link to my article about bottle reuse in the Wine Business Monthly Magazine December 2023 issue.

Link here to read more of my work.