Wine Packaging, Distribution, and Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Challenges to Achieve Zero Emissions in the Packaging and Logistics Industries

Introduction

The packaging and logistics sectors of the wine supply chain are major emitters of greenhouse gases (GHGs), which warm the climate and contribute to climate change (Pinto da Silva & Esteves da Silva, 2022). Some of the most common GHGs that contribute to climate change are Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Methane, Nitrogen Oxide (NO) and Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), with CO2 being the most common. Climate change has caused changes in weather patterns, affecting many wine supply chain participants, including consumers. Rising temperatures and extreme weather conditions such as draughts and hailstorms have harmed vineyards and made farming difficult, leading to an increase in production costs. It has also resulted in early grape ripening, which has impacted wine flavour and aroma, putting vintner’s stylistic wine flavours in jeopardy and causing customer-brand relationships to suffer as a result of lower customer satisfaction (McAllister, 2022; Chrobak & Zimmer, 2022).

Traditional wine bottles and their screw caps, as well as fuel and air conditioning, are among the largest GHG emitters in the industry. Concerned about the effects of their carbon footprints, wine industry has pledged to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 (Thach, 2021). To truly address climate change, not only must GHG emissions be eliminated, but existing GHGs must also be removed from the environment. In the pursuit of environmental sustainability, the packaging and logistics industry (Shipping and airlines companies) is working hard to discover and develop truly environmentally friendly and viable packaging materials, fuels and resources. Their efforts have, at the very least, resulted in the development of more environmentally friendly packaging materials, fuels and resources. However, their economic feasibility, viability and availability have prevented many winemakers and logistics companies, particularly small and medium-sized ones, from adopting them. Moreover, they have their own carbon footprints and are directly or indirectly responsible for some level of greenhouse gas emissions (Litskas, Tzortzakis, & Stavrinides, 2020; Weiser et al., 2010). Although there are a few environmentally friendly resources being researched, they are not yet technologically developed enough to be implemented. Indeed, one of the most common impediments to the development of truly environmentally friendly resources is a lack of technology due to fewer research and development activities. Government assistance and industry-wide collaboration may aid in mitigating such a challenge. The chapter's following section examines the carbon footprint of traditional materials used by winemakers and packaging companies, such as glass bottles and conventional closures. The section also discusses the carbon footprint of environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional packaging materials available to vintners, such as aluminum cans, plastic bottles, stainless steel kegs, and corrugated fiberboard boxes, as well as traditional closures like aluminum screwcaps, agglomerated corks, synthetic corks, glass corks, and crown caps. The carbon footprints of wine shipping and logistics companies are then discussed in relation to their use of fuel, a traditional raw material. In addition, the section discusses environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional fuels such as biofuels, green hydrogen, electric power, and wind energy, as well as the challenges in developing and implementing them. Finally, potential solutions to the challenges associated with the adoption of existing and developing environmentally friendly materials and resources, as well as the role of national governments in developing or identifying marketable environmentally friendly packaging and distribution raw materials and resources, are highlighted.