WASTE MANAGEMENT WINEWISE COMMITTEE
CURRENT ASSIGNEMENTS
Topic
Glass bottles
Alternative containers (PET, BIB, TetraPack…)
Cardboard boxes
Labels (etched, silk screening, paper, plastic,
type of ink used)
Closures (synthetic, natural, screwcap,
crowncap, vinolock)
DTC shipper and inserts
Pomace
DE/Perlite
Filtration material (Pads, cartridges)
Unused chemicals (Yeast, acid, SO2, DAP,
enzymes…)
Used barrels
Shipping – Case goods
Shipping – Direct To Consumer
Topic champion
Paul Vanderberg
Freddy Arredondo
Nicolas Quille
Nicolas Quille
Freddy Arredondo
Freddy Arredondo
Nicolas Quille
Paul Vanderberg
Paul Vanderberg
Nicolas Quille
Freddy Arredondo
Nicolas Quille
Paul Vanderberg
GLASS BOTTLES: Bottles used to package your wine
Topic
Glass bottles
Impact on Environment
 What is the weight of your bottle?
Recyclability
 Do you use flint (more recyclable) or
colored glass (often not recycled)?
Topic
Glass bottles
Recycled content
 Do you know the percentage of
recycled glass and post consumer
waste in your glass?
Effort toward reduce waste
 Do you recycle glass onsite?
 Do you offer your consumer to bring
their used bottles back at the
winery?
ALTERNATIVE CONTAINER:
Topic
Alternative
Container
Impact on Environment
 What type of alternative containers
Recyclability
 Is the container produced with the
are you using (PET, BIB, Tetrapack)?
 How much energy is consumed in the 
production of the contaner in
relation to other products that serve
the same purpose?
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Topic
Alternative
Container
help of renewable supplier?
Are the renewable supplies used in
the container managed in a
sustainable manner?
Is the container easily recycled (ie;
curbside or recycling centers)?
Is the entire container recyclable?
Does the container have to be
broken down and sorted into
various recyclable parts?
Is the recycled container
manufactured into another type of
consumer product?
Recycled content
Effort toward reduce waste
 How much recycled content is there  Do you recycle containers onsite?
in the container?
 Has the manufacturer of the product
established any partnerships with
recyclers?
CARDBOARD BOXES: Boxes used in packaging glass – can be applied to boxes received for
supplies other than glass (yeasts, lab supplies…)
Topic
Cardboard
boxes
Impact on Environment
 How far is the box produced and/or
has to travel?
 Do you repack glass – do you
understand the flow of your
cardboard boxes?
 Have you discussed the sustainable
footprint of your box with your
supplier
Recyclability
 Quality and amount of ink in
cardboard – any lead based ink?
 Finish on the box – any plastified
finish
 Amount of material used
 Type of inserts used
Topic
Cardboard
boxes
Recycled content
Effort toward reduce waste
 % recycled content in your boxes and  Do your track the wastage rate of
inserts
your boxes?
 Do you have a cardboard/paper
collection point at the winery?
LABELS: Labels (Etching, silk screening, paper, plastic…) used to provide information on your
package
Topic
Labels
Impact on Environment
Recyclability
 Do you know if your labels contain
 Do you know the recyclability of your
any heavy metals?
labels?
 Do you discuss eco-friendly
 Do you know the recyclability of your
alternatives with your label supplier?
backing material?
 Do you understand what is the
backing material?
 If using Etching or Silk screening, do
you understand the wastage rate in
the label application process?
Topic
Labels
Recycled content
 % recycled content
Effort toward reduce waste
 Do you collect and recycle used
labels?
 Do you collect and recycle used
backing material?
 Do you know your wastage rate and
do you have conversations about
ways to reduce your waste?
 Have you looked at reducing the size
of your label to save on material?
CLOSURES: Type of stoppers on the wine containers: Natural cork, composite cork, Screwcap,
Synthetic cork, Vinlock
Topic
Closures
Impact on Environment
 What type of closure are you using
(Synthetic, natural cork,
agglomerated cork, screwcap,
crowncap, vinolock)?
 If using natural cork what is the
process for cleaning the cork? What
types of chemicals are used and how
are chemicals disposed of by the
producer?
Recyclability
 Is the closure made from a
renewable resource?
 If the closure is made from a
renewable resource, is the company
managing the resource in a
sustainable manner?
 How much energy is consumed in
the production of the closure
compared to other products that do
the same thing?
 Is the closure recycled into an
entirely different product (cork
flooring, packing material etc.) or is
it recycled into the same product?
Topic
Closures
Recycled content
 Is there any recycled material in the
closure that you use?
Effort toward reduce waste
 Has your supplier set up any type of
recycling program?
SHIPPERS: Shippers used in DTC mainly.
Topic
Shippers
Impact on Environment

What type of shipper do you use to
ship wines (plastic/polymer,
paper/cardboard fibre,
Styrofoam/polystyrene foam)?
 Is the shipper that you use made
from a renewable resource? Is that
renewable resource managed in a
sustainable manner?
 Can the product be broken down or
stacked to save space resulting in
more efficient shipping?
Recyclability
 Styrofoam, very bad
 Plastic inserts (polyethylene) are
good
 Is the shipper that you are using
recyclable or re-usable?
 Is the shipper that you are using
readily recyclable (curbside or
accepted at most recycle centers)?
Topic
Shippers
Recycled content
 Is there any recycled content in the
shipper that you are using?
Effort toward reduce waste
 Do you collect used shippers at your
winery for re-use?
 Do you ship back shippers to the
winery?
DE/PERLITE: Mined filtration material
Topic
DE/PERLITE
Impact on Environment
 Do you know where the filtration
material comes from?
Recyclability

Topic
DE/PERLITE
Recycled content

Effort toward reduce waste
 Do you use the material for
composting or mulching?
OTHER FILTRATION MATERIAL: Mainly filter pads and membranes
Topic
Cardboard
boxes
Impact on Environment
 Do you use non intrusive method
such as Cross flow filter, centrifuge
 Do you understand where your
material comes from (Italy is not as
good as Montana…)
Recyclability

Topic
Cardboard
boxes
Recycled content
 Do you discuss fabrication process
with your supplier?
Effort toward reduce waste
 Do you recycled some of the other
filtration material?
POMACE: Waste from pressing grapes – Skins and seeds
Topic
Pomace
Impact on Environment
Recyclability
 Do you know where you pomace go?  Could be 100% composted
How far?
 Cattle feeding
 Grape seed oil
Topic
Pomace
Recycled content
 100% recyclable
Effort toward reduce waste
 Do you understand clearly where the
pomace go?
UNUSED CHEMICAL: Leftover chemicals from your Production operations including
fermentation supplies (Yeasts, nutrients, enzymes…), general production supplies (Gas, SO2,
filtration material…) and lab supplies (Chemical, plastic cuvettes…)
Topic
Unused
Chemical
Impact on Environment
 Have you sit down with your team to
evaluate the potential impact of
disposing the waste downstream?
 Do you minimize shipping and try to
get all your supplies in few orders?
Recyclability
 Do you have document outlining the
process to recycle each chemical
waste?
Topic
Unused
Chemical
Recycled content
 % recyclable content?
Effort toward reduce waste
 Do you track wastage rate and try to
minimize it?
 Do you have a list of all unused
chemical you might generate?
 Do you have the capability to collect
plastic, metal and paper/Cardboard
waste separately?
 Do you separate packaging and left
over chemical?
 Did you contact the city about
disposing of liquid chemical in the
sewer
 Do you know which chemical can be
composted with pomace (DE waste
for example can)
USED BARRELS AND OAK ALTERNATIVES:
Topic
Oak barrels and
alternatives
Impact on Environment
Recyclability
 Do you discuss sustainable harvesting 
with your supplier
Topic
Oak barrels and
alternatives
Recycled content

Effort toward reduce waste
 How many barrels are removed
from your program each year?
 Can the barrels that you are taking
out of your program be used by a
“barrel refurbisher” (like re-coop)
to get more use out of them?
 Can the barrels be donated to a
charitable organization where they
can re-use the wood and metal
products to produce other
products.
 Can barrels be sold to a company
that makes another product like
 Furniture out of the barrel
materials?
 Alternatives disposal (Chips, staves..)
CASE GOODS: Left over case good not appropriate for sale (Obsolete inventories, damaged
goods…)
Topic
Case Goods
Impact on Environment
 Do you know where your case goods
are and do you have a program to
track them?
 Do you recall your case good at the
winery for destruction?
 If you use a third party for
destruction, are you aware of their
destruction policy?
Recyclability
 Do you decant case goods and
dispose of each component
appropriately
Topic
Case Goods
Recycled content
 % recycled content based on each
component
Effort toward reduce waste
 Do you recall obsolete product for
destruction and have a procedure to
dispose of the waste (wine, glass,
cardboard…)?
 Have you discussed with your
warehouseman his/her program for
case goods destruction?
SHIPPING – TRUCKLOAD AND DTC:
Topic
Logistic
Impact on Environment
 Do you know and try to minimize
your weight per case
Recyclability

Topic
Logistic
Recycled content

Effort toward reduce waste
 Do you look at your logistic carbon
footprint?
WEIGHTING OF TOPICS BY IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT:
Glass bottles and Alternative containers (PET, BIB, TetraPack…)
51%
Pomace
10%
Shipping/Logistics
10%
Barrels and oak alternatives
7%
Unused chemicals (Yeast, acid, SO2, DAP, enzymes…)
5%
Closures (synthetic, natural, screwcap, crowncap, vinolock)
5%
Cardboard boxes and shippers
4%
DE/Perlite
4%
Filtration material (Pads, cartridges)
2%
Labels (etched, silk screening, paper, plastic, type of ink used)
2%
OTHER IDEAS:
- Have a waste log available for wineries (may be a spreadsheet downloadable from Winewise?)
- Link to scientific studies that relate to waste management at wineries
- Have list of sustainable suppliers – WineWise approved list?
- build online feedback mechanism with consumers about their recycling habits?