How Wine is Hurting the Environment (and Our Pockets)

Hard to believe, I know- how could wine ever do any wrong?

Alas, in the state of our global trade and climate crises, the glass bottles in which wine is most often stored in have become extremely problematic. There are many reasons as to why producers have found such troubles in obtaining bottles, and the cost it requires to do such. First, with the global pandemic came the inevitable supply-chain problems, as well as the 25% tariffs on glass bottles coming from China since 2018.

More recently, as production of glass wine bottles for the majority of Europe come from Ukraine, it has ultimately been completely halted by the ongoing war with Russia. Relatively, the overall supply of glass wine bottles has diminished immensely.

Global strategist, Stephen Rannekleiv, wrote “The cost of glass bottles in the U.S. has risen by as much as 20%, according to some brand owners, although most operators have seen much more modest price increases,” as released in April of this year by Market Watch. “However, we would not be surprised to see some glass suppliers implement additional price increases as the year progresses. Nor would we be surprised if the extent to which their input costs are increasing turns out to be structural rather than transitory.”

Although the increase in production price and the decrease in supply is a relevant problem in the wine industry, producers are more than capable of adapting to these troubles short-term. However, the more prevalent and long-term problem that glass wine bottles present is the climate crisis, and carbon footprint that their production inhibits.

The solution? Well, for one of them, many who enjoy quality wine may need to get past their preconceived notions about boxed wine and its claim to fame being the cheap beverage of choice for many college students. If credible wine producers begin to put their products into this bag-in-box option, it will be significantly better for the environments sake as they consume much less energy to manufacture and ship.

This blog post is part of the CIMA Law Group blog. If you are located in Arizona and are seeking legal services, CIMA Law Group specializes in Immigration Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and Government Relations.