Cowichan Valley Voice - January 2021 Issue - Chris Turyk
Packaging decisions are historically intrenced in the wine industry; largely based on consumer perception, very little thought has gone into the environmental impacts these decisions make. Sustainability in the wine industry goes well beyond seeding a cover crop, metering water usage and embracing renewable energy. Manufacturing and transport of glass bottles accounts for roughly 60% of the carbon footprint of the wine industry. For those who like to open a nice bottle of local wine, this will be hard to swallow—but it's true. Fortunately, there are a myriad of packaging decisions a winery can make to reduct their carbon footprint.