Wednesday, 2 February, 2022
Winemag.co.za, Roland Peens
The environment is of course more controlled and more impacted, with new innovations and techniques to increase yields, quality, and saleability.
Signalled by a 200% gain in the Nasdaq over the last five years, the current tech boom is likened to the 1990s internet revolution and tech has moved firmly into wine business (the recent stock market crash notwithstanding). Offerings to the industry in 2022 seem futuristic: Carbon-saving packaging, machine-learning algorithms, blockchain technology and virtual worlds are set to change the industry over the next decade.
ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) is firmly atop the 2022 corporate agenda – non-financial factors that are now incorporated in determining how best to run a business. The glass bottle, for instance, is the most carbon-rich element of wine. Consuming a massive amount of energy to produce, the average 400g glass bottle is often transported huge distances to export markets. BIB (bag in box) and canned wine have seen huge growth locally and internationally and now a 100% recycled PET bottle provides a smart solution. At just 63 grams, the unique Garçon Wines flat bottle is 40% spatially smaller and 80% lighter, leading to substantive energy savings. This ‘cleantech packaging innovation’ importantly also drives the circular economy and is a much-needed employment and sustainability driver. “We chose to encourage others to realize that the norm may not be good enough and that outliers can sometimes change the status quo to the benefit of all,” says Garçon founder Santiago Navarro.
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