One of the UK“s upmarket supermarkets Waitrose has announced that it is bulk importing wine for its new Virtue range and bottling it in the UK, with the aim of significantly cutting carbon emissions….
One of the UK“s upmarket supermarkets Waitrose has announced that it is bulk importing wine for its new Virtue range and bottling it in the UK, with the aim of significantly cutting carbon emissions. The wines are imported by sea from Chile in 24,000-litre recyclable tanks to Teesport, Middlesbrough, and bottled just outside Durham, northern England. According to the company, this will enable to reduce carbon emissions by 47 tonnes a year and production costs by up to 40%. Waitrose wine buyer Nick Room said the retailer had worked closely with its suppliers to reduce packaging: “As a supermarket, Waitrose has cut product packaging weight by more than a third in eight years and we“re already looking at more wines which can be shipped in a similar way.” Waitrose is a signatory of the Courtauld Commitment, a voluntary agreement between WRAP and major UK grocery organizations that supports less packaging and food waste ending up in household refuse, which presently has 41 signatories. It is a powerful vehicle for change and in 2008 has led to zero growth in packaging despite increases in sales and population.