Accolade Wine’s Banrock Station has launched Wise Wolf, with bottles made with 91 per cent recycled glass.
The launch of Wise Wolf is the latest milestone for Banrock, who also launched the first 100 per cent recycled plastic eco-bottles in both Australia and the UK last year.
The Wise Wolf range is looking to tap into the growing demand from consumers for wine that comes in packaging that is more environmentally conscious than standard wine bottles.
Accolade Wines CMO Sandy Mayo said that the Wise Wolf brand name was a reference to the positive effect that wolves have had on eco-systems in the northern hemisphere. For example, in Yellowstone National Park, wolves were reintroduced in the 1990s, seventy years after disappearing, and triggered a wave of positive changes across the eco-system.
“Just as the wolf can be the catalyst for positive change in the environment, our ambition is for Wise Wolf to spark positive changes across the wine industry,” said Mayo.
Mayo said the Wise Wolf range gave glass another life.
“When it comes to circular packaging solutions, Wise Wolf is a game changing innovation for the Australian wine industry; it literally gives glass another life, and we want to see these bottles become bottles, again and again.
“We are constantly searching for new and better ways of doing things, and while we know it is not perfect yet, Wise Wolf is a major step forward for more sustainable wine packaging in this market,” said Mayo.
Banrock Station has a history of pushing for environmental change, having contributed more than $7.5 million in funding for conservation projects across 13 countries.
“Our hope is that Australian consumers will embrace Wise Wolf and come along with us on our journey as we make wine packaging more sustainable, and as the technology evolves and more recycling infrastructure comes online.”
“Wise Wolf is not just about a recycled glass bottle, it is a continuation of the 25 years of Banrock Station’s commitment to environmental preservation,” said Mayo.
Accolade Wines worked with a number of suppliers on the innovation to ensure all elements of the packaging were designed to use the most sustainable materials available to them including:
- 91 per cent recycled glass developed in partnership with Visy Glass;
- labels made from 100 per cent upcycled sugarcane;
- caps made with 26 per cent less materials than average caps and an expected 40 per cent recycled aluminium content; and
- wine cartons made from 100 per cent recycled paper pulp.
Accolade Wines said that transparency and access to packaging information was central to the Wise Wolf brand, with a QR code available on the label linking to more information about the attributes of each component of the packaging is outlined.
Wise Wolf by Banrock Station available at major retailers nationally with a Limestone Coast Chardonnay and an Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc. A Barossa Valley Shiraz will join the line up from next year.
