Alliance aims to formalise waste removal from tastings

By Jo Gilbert

Published: 07 July, 2023

Alliance Wine has announced a partnership with the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) on a project which aims to remove waste from tastings, with best practice to be shared with the wider trade.

Over the past six months, Alliance and the SRA have been working closely to develop an anti-waste policy, which aims to reduce waste generated at Alliance’s trade events.

A member of the Harpers Sustainability Charter, Alliance is now looking at several areas in order to significantly reduce waste. These include high levels of water waste through discarded or leftover ice, what to do with opened but not empty bottles, plus the constant use of ‘single-use’ items.

“Sustainability is a core tenet of our business strategy and it is integral to every aspect of what we do,” Marta Juega Rivera, sustainability manager at Alliance Wine, said.

“So, as part of our overall commitment we are looking to reducing waste wherever possible. We joined forces with the SRA to help create what we believe is the first formal anti-waste policy devoted specifically to wine orientated events.”

Part of the objective of the initiative is to address the lack of consideration when comes to wine events and waste. While waste is inevitable in certain situations, it is often a result “of not shifting our mind-set… mainly because they are seen as a commercial and marketing opportunity and a business necessity”, Rivera said.

The project is now looking to formalise the process, whereby the trade collectively looks to maintain, share, reuse, repair, refurbish and remanufacture as much as possible.

On the subject of single use products and water wastage, James Mackenzie, head of UK marketing, said: “The necessity to chill wines at tastings often requires copious amounts of ice that then ends up being discarded as waste water at the end of the day. We worked hard to consider other options and create a policy that looked to use as little ice as possible or at least obtain it from the most sustainable supplier.

“Another seemingly small but cumulative aspect is the use of single-use products that populate tastings. From slow pours to takeaway coffee cups and posters, these all tend to be disposed after the event as waste and we are keen to try to address how they can either be retained to be reused or not used at all.”

Now in its 39th year, Alliance Wine was established in Scotland by Frenchman Chris Bouteiller. Offices are based in Scotland and London, with wine being imported from over 200 producers from 21 countries.

The anti-waste policy is available to download from Alliance Wine’s website or by contacting Marta Rivera direct at marta@alliancewine.com.

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