Vinventions launches recycling initiative

Closures specialist Vinventions has launched what it claims is “the world’s first truly circular wine closure recycling initiative” in collaboration with industry partners SABIC and Unilever.

Announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos this month, president and CEO of Vinventions, Dr Heino Freudenberg, revealed the company’s new project which will be piloted this year.

The project will involve turning used wine closures into “entirely new wine closures”.

Vice president of sustainability at Vinventions, Michael Blaise, commented: “Today, ‘recycling’ simply means the collection and reprocessing of used products into other, usually less-demanding products.

“Currently, wine closures from Vinventions are partially recollected and transformed into recycled products like sparkling coolers, swimming pool liners and the like. While this adds valuable additional lifecycles after our wine closures’ first product life, it is achieved by down-cycling the materials.”

Malcolm Thompson, chief innovation officer at Vinventions, added: “In principle, this new level of circular economy allows the opportunity for an endless repeat of the recycling circle. In other words – endless circles of life for our wine closures.”

Freudenberg concluded: “This technical breakthrough now also requires us to step up our efforts in efficient waste collection. We will create these endless circles of life for as many wine closures as possible.

“Much work lies ahead of us, but these are impressive first steps towards a truly circular economy in wine closures.”

Vinventions is the second largest wine closure supplier in the world. It employs over 550 people and operates seven production sites in the US, Belgium, Germany, France, Argentina, South Africa and China.