Nomacorc adds Bio-closure to Select Series

Nomacorc, a leading producer of alternative wine closures, has introduced what it claims is the world’s first zero carbon footprint wine closure.

Select Bio is made with plant-based polymers derived from sugar cane and will be ready for 2014 bottling season.

Aimed at sustainable wineries, Select Bio closures will be 100% recyclable. The closures will mirror Nomacorc’s Select Series portfolio in oxygen management performance.

“Select Bio is an exciting milestone for Nomacorc,” said Lars von Kantzow, president and CEO, Nomacorc. “Not only are we able to serve wineries seeking a more reliable and sustainable packaging solution, but we can reduce our overall corporate carbon footprint while taking an important first step towards our goal of minimising the use of fossil-based energy and materials across our entire range of products.”

Select Bio is especially suited for organic and biodynamic wines that minimise the use of sulfites for wine preservation. The company claims that through its co-extrusion process, the new closure can control oxygen ingress, reducing a wine’s susceptibility to spoilage due to oxygen mismanagement while improving post-bottle aging and bottle-to-bottle consistency. Select Bio’s plant-based polymers are derived from sugar cane, which, due to its renewable nature, contributes a negative carbon footprint value. Incorporating these polymers into Nomacorc’s formulation fully offsets positive emissions originating from conventional raw materials in the product, resulting in closures having a zero carbon footprint, the company says.

“The use of plant-based materials provides extra benefits to the already strong performance of Nomacorc closures in end-of-life disposal scenarios, including recycling and incineration,” said Dr Olav Aagaard, Nomacorc’s principal scientist. “So when evaluating a closure’s carbon footprint, its susceptibility to spoiling wine and the environmental impact of end-of-life disposal, Select Bio is clearly the only solution that fully addresses all three aspects of the closure’s life cycle.”

The Select Bio Series will include three distinct products, each with different oxygen ingress levels. It will have the same look and feel as the traditional Select Series including serrated ends, chamfered edges, custom side printing and optional custom end-printing. The Select Bio Series will be offered for bottling trials with a select group of customers following the Intervitis wine fair this week in Germany. The full portfolio will be commercially available for the 2014 bottling season.

http://www.nomacorc.com/nomacorc-sustainability.php.

26 April 2013 - Felicity Murray