The European wine sector joins the “Close the Glass Loop” platform

The Comité Européen des Entreprises Vins – CEEV – joins FERVER, EXPRA, UNESDA, MWE, EUROCITIES, SPIRITSEUROPE and ACR+ as new founding partner of the Circular Economy Platform for Glass Collection & Recycling initiated by FEVE – the European glass packaging industry Federation.

The wine sector will collaborate with the glass packaging value chain to achieve the ambitious target of collecting 90 percent of all glass packaging placed on the EU market, for recycling in a bottle-to-bottle closed loop, by 2030. The wine companies represented by CEEV through their national associations are already committed to improve the environmental and sustainability performance of the wine sector while preserving its competitiveness. Partnering with Close the Glass Loop is a signal that despite these particularly challenging times due to the COVID crisis, the Circular Economy remains a key priority for the wine sector.

“Wine is not an ordinary product and represents an enduring cultural symbol of fine life in which packaging has a fundamental role. With more than 90 percent of European wines packed in glass, it is clear this supplying industry is inherent part of our business model. By helping the glass packaging chain to improve their sustainability score, we directly improve ours,” said Ignacio Sánchez Recarte, CEEV Secretary General. “There are so many kinds of wines and our sector is extremely atomised, but glass is one of the few common and universal values we can use to transmit to consumers our sector’s engagement to preserve our planet.”

“The wine sector is one of our leading market segments with a constant growth recorded in the last years. It is fundamental we can collaborate, and support each other in our sustainability efforts,” stated Adeline Farrelly, FEVE Secretary General. “The Close the Glass Loop platform is one way to do this together. The more recycled glass we can put back into our production loop, the lower the environmental impact of our bottles.”

According to a recent consumer survey published by the consumer platform Friends of glass, glass is the most preferred packaging material for most food & beverage products, with as many as 8 out of 10 Europeans preferring to buy their wine and spirits in glass.  People are buying more glass than ever before, with 51 percent of consumers buying more products in glass vs. 3 years ago. The endless recyclability is one of the key drivers for consumer choice together with health safety, and product quality and taste preservation assets. By aiming for higher and better recycling, Close the Glass Loop also answers to consumers demand for an even more sustainable glass packaging solution.