Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/74662
M a N a G e M e N t Which wine shippers are safest, cheapest and greenest? By Jane Firstenfeld M Recycled foam Except for decorative wooden cases, which are increasingly popular for premium wine shipments and technically re-usable but not recyclable, virtually every wine shipment arrives in a corru- gated cardboard box. The difference is in the inserts that separate and protect the bottles during transport. Expanded polystyrene (EPS), commonly known as Styrofoam, is a familiar material popular for its lightweight, insulating and protective attributes. Formed from non-renewable fossil materials and gen- erally unrecyclable, EPS has hardly been considered "green." Now, however, one packaging specialist has teamed with a materials processor to 74 Wines & Vines JAnUARY 2011 ost vintners start their search for sustainability in the vineyard, husband- ing water and eschewing chemical applications. Progress advances in the winery, with improvements to processes, green construction, reduction of power usage or conversion to solar. Changes in packaging tend to emerge later: alterna- tive glues and inks, lighter bottles or no bottles at all. Now that direct-to- consumer sales have become an integral profit center, winemakers are turning their attention to the lowly wine shipper. The carton in which wine is shipped, and whatever is inserted inside to protect the bottles, may be the last links in the chain, but they are as vital as those that have gone before. If a wine shipper fails to deliver your wine to customers in pristine condition, all your previous efforts will have come to naught. This is not a sustain- able position for anyone. Like other packaging options, some suppliers now offer shippers that they claim are both greener and as protective as more established choices. We spoke to manufacturers, fulfillment houses and wineries to learn what they recommend and why. Direct Shipping Cartons evolve Highlights • When choosing wine shipping packages, evaluate recyclability, shipping weight, cost and protective attributes. • Although fabricated from fossil sources, new recycled EPS shippers are lightweight and provide thermal insulation. • Inserts crafted from pulp or cor- rugated cardboard are biodegradable and allow shipped wines to cool more quickly. create the EcoSix line of shippers, using a minimum of 60% recycled content. Den- ver, Colo.-based ACH Foam Technologies produces WineLoc Packaging. It claims the EcoSix provides superior breakage and temperature-change protection, and projects it will "reduce material intro- duced into the supply chain by total actual weight of 240,000 pounds annually." Nick Uresti, retail logistics coordinator, pack- ages shipments at Jordan Vineyard & Winery. Rapack LP of Oakland, Tenn., provides the not-so-raw materials. According to Ken Adams, VP of sales and marketing, EcoSix is a branded name for recycled resin that has achieved independent Green Cross certification. Rapack brings in more than 1 million pounds of used EPS annually from sources across the United States. Prior to shipping, the foam is "densified" to reduce the space required during transit, slashing monetary and environmental costs. As many as 40,000 pounds of densified material can fit into a standard 53-foot trailer, cutting transpor- tation costs to 11 cents per pound. Rapack puts material through a grinder, then shreds it into smaller pieces. Next, it is melted in an extruder: The foam emerges "like spaghetti strands," Adams said. After cooling, it's cut into beads by a rotary knife. In a final ex- truder, the recycled material is mixed with new resin, then cut into smaller "gassed" polystyrene beads. These are shipped to the ACH plant in McCaren, Nev., where lIsA mAttson