Poly-Natural: Cutting plastic waste under the vines
When you think about the sheer numbers of plastic ‘bread bag’ clips, metal twisty ties and cane clips littering vineyards, it is a worrying thought.
“Recent studies have shown bagin- box has one of the lowest carbon footprints of all the current alternative packaging formats, with carbon emissions up to 87% less than lightweight glass.” She launched Fugitive with viticulturist Logie Mackenzie in 2021, and they’ve just released the 2023 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc in a box.
Logie says the purpose of Fugitive was always to make organic wine with a heightened flavour profile but low carbon footprint. “Being organic was only half the story, we wanted to make wine with the lowest carbon footprint possible. The more we researched it was clear single-use glass bottles weren’t going to be part of that story.” They started out supplying reusable kegs to bars and wine stores, but found the logistics too much for a small wine company. “So, we went back to the drawing board to look for other alternative packaging options that would work,” Nadine says.
“We wanted packaging that would maintain wine quality, be fully reusable or recyclable, and have the lowest carbon footprint possible.” When they heard about new premium recycle-ready wine bags, which can be easily recycled through the soft plastic scheme, it was “a game changer”, she says. “It makes you realise all the wasted weight and packaging required for glass bottles”.
