The Institut Català del Suro Foundation has intervened as an advisor on capping in the preparation of the ecodesign guide aimed at wineries that have boosted the Spanish Wine Federation (FEV) i ecovidrio with the aim of promoting good practices and providing technical knowledge for reduce the environmental impact of the life cycle of the wine container and all its associated elements, among which is the cork.

Of all the capping options on the market, the guide highlights that the cork has the least impact, because corks act as carbon sinks, natural cork waste is used to make agglomerated cork and cork is a biodegradable product with which compost can be produced.

Likewise, the guide highlights that cork is an easily recyclable material that helps reduce the environmental footprint of wine packaging, since it is a local and renewable raw material, it does not make it difficult to recover the glass from the bottle and it can be given new uses that make it possible to add value to the waste. It also highlights that since it is a single-material element, it enjoys greater recyclability.

You can check the full guide here. You will find references to the cork between pages 45 and 51 and on page 88.

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The guide

The eco-design guide incorporates a total of 70 measures adapted to the singularities of the wine sector and the elements of primary packaging, such as bottles, caps and capsules, in addition to including actions aimed at secondary and tertiary packaging.

Among the main lines of work are:

1. Deleting items.
2. Improved recyclability.
3. Reduction of unit weight.
4. Reduction of the environmental footprint.
5. Optimization of formats.
6. Promotion of reuse.

In addition, the document incorporates all kinds of recommendations to reduce the environmental impact and maximize the recycling of the closing elements, labels, capsules and screen prints, etc.

The guide offers several environmental impact analyzes in both the production and recycling phases. A particularly interesting material if we consider that the design phase can determine up to 80% of the environmental impact of a product, according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. It also compiles simple forms, practical examples and tips for easy implementation.

During the presentation of the guide, the FEV thanked the Institut Català del Suro Foundation for its advice on covering