Sustainability
Sustainability Issues
Estimates from WRAP indicate that the carbon footprint of all alcohol consumed in the UK is 1.5% of the total UK greenhouse gas emissions of which one quarter is attributable to wine.
Environmental and sustainability issues are pushing their way further up the political and media agenda. Consumers are increasingly aware of issues such as packaging waste, recycling and carbon emissions. The WSTA will be using its Consumer Insight research, in conjunction with Wine Intelligence, to examine whether, as consumer awareness of these issues increases, they are increasingly likely to consider ‘environmental friendliness’ when choosing products.
The environmental agenda potentially presents both threats and opportunities for the WSTA and its members. This paper aims to outline some key areas of work including carbon footprinting, bottle lightweighting, recycling, bulk importation and UK bottling.
The opportunities for both economic and environmental savings may provide some good news stories and best practice development in the wine and spirit industry. The WSTA will continue to work with Government departments and related organisations to ensure that the membership is kept up to date. We will also continue to work with our members to seek opportunities, where appropriate, to engage in various ongoing initiatives.