Seven stores across the UK will now offer collection points for natural corks.
Cork, which is a natural product, has historically been the cap of choice for wine and high end beers, ciders and other alcoholic drinks. However, the rise of the metal screw top has gradually been replacing the historic item, at great environmental expense.
Portugal, the world’s most prominent cork producer, currently has around 350 cork forests left, and these provide vital support to the country’s ecosystem, nurturing biodiversity and helping mitigate extreme weather events, including drought. The product is also considered fully sustainable, meaning it can be regrown infinitely providing there are the necessary resources to feed the trees themselves, which are known for their low water intake.
Understanding the clear benefits of keeping cork in circulation, UK supermarket Waitrose has now announced a new recycling scheme launching at seven locations. Stores in Salisbury, Saltash, Lymington, Bath, Godalming, Truro, and Maidenhead will all have collection points for used bottle corks from 7th October onwards. If successful, it could be rolled out nationally. Amorim, the largest cork processing firm in the world, is handling the supply chain and physical recycling.
‘Waitrose customers get through a corking nearly 25 million natural corks a year. Currently this valuable material does not have its own waste stream which means it ends up in landfill. Cork is a durable material and has the potential to be repurposed into a variety of products after it has been used as a wine cork,’ said Barry Dick, MW and Beer Wine and Spirits Global Bulk Wine Sourcing Manager at Waitrose. ‘This trial is a fantastic way for us to reduce waste and play a part in improving our sustainability as a category. Once we’ve gauged our customer’s appetite to return their natural corks, we’re hoping to roll the trial out to further stores from next year.’
‘I’m excited to kick off this trial and learn about how we can help reduce unnecessary waste of such a great material,’ added Marija Rompani, Director of Ethics and Sustainability at John Lewis Partnership. ‘We’re always looking for ways to reduce waste and keep materials in circulation as a crucial element of our Ethics & Sustainability commitments, and this trial will add another layer to the work we have across the Partnership.’
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