Cork vs. Screw Cap Debate Goes Environmental
Photo Credit: Sam Howzit
For all you wine enthusiasts, selecting a fine bottle of wine has raised some new questions. Next time you’re in the supermarket making your purchase: do you think cork, plastic or screw top? As more wineries begin to move from cork stoppers towards plastic and aluminum caps, we enter a debate of which products are more sustainable.
While about 70 percent of wine bottles still contain natural cork stoppers, plastic and other alternatives have been coming on strong in recent years. More and more winemakers around the world are switching to alternatives, noting several benefits such the avoidance of cork mold that can taint wine or the ability to easily re-close opened bottles. In Australia and New Zealand, most wine producers are using screw caps, which are a cheaper alternative to the relatively high price of importing the natural cork.
So what are the consequences of steering away from the age-old cork stopper? Some would say this switch is unfortunate for a number of reasons. Harvesting cork is an ancient practice that keeps a cluster of cork trees, which are mostly located in Portugal and Spain, alive. Although it’s not widely known, the cork industry is helping to sustain one of the world’s most biodiverse forests. This may come as a surprise, as you may have thought the cork trees are cut down to produce the product. The trees are in fact not chopped down; instead the outer bark is harvested, by hand, every 9 years. This allows the tree to consume 10 tons more carbon dioxide!
A year-long study found that CO2 emissions (a key factor in global warming) resulting from the life cycle of a screwcap are 24 times higher than those from a natural cork stopper, while a plastic stopper is responsible for 10 times more CO2 than a natural cork. According to this study, Natural cork is the only closure option for winemakers, distributors and retailers that want to minimize their carbon footprint and adopt best practices in relation to environmental performance.
For more on this study, click here.
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Thanks for this info Devon
I learned somthing new!
Im sticking to cork.
I went into Trader Joes the other day and saw that they recyle our corks. So dont throw them away take them into your local Trader Joes store.
Cheers
Ann
Screw caps are recyclable though, and I’m not sure what the longevity of a cork stopper is. The bonus for cork is that it is biodegradable (unless heavily treated) – although how many times cork can be recycled (or down-cycled) is up to debate I guess. Either way, interesting article, keep it up.