Portugese Drought and TCA Creates Global Cork CrisisRetailers and Restaurants join forces to help support the wine industry. “A dime at a time”Global Initiative to Reclaim Corks for recycling (GIRCS)Restaurateurs, retailers and consumers are being encouraged to join the movement by reclaiming the good corks once they have been pulled from their bottles. Over 10 percent of the corks used globally are affected by TCA. Recognizing that 90 percent of the corks would still make viable closures, this initiative will help to reclaim the quality corks and eliminate the ones affected by TCA is a naturally occurring byproduct of microbial activity called 2,4,6-trichloroanisole, which can turn up in food and in cork. Its presence is not a health problem; it’s an aroma one. High quality natural cork has become a major expense to any winery. “I am happy to pay 10 cents for a good used cork. It’s perfectly fine. In fact there is much less processing required to retro-fit a used cork than to create a new one. A good new cork costs about 30 cents to produce. It would be a huge savings for us as well as being good for the environment.” Robert Riche, D’Vine Bottling Inc. Reverse Logistics simplify the reclamation process.The corks basically follow the same distribution system that the wines did to get here. It’s the perfect reverse recycling system. The corks already have the Winery ID or Logo printed on them so it makes returning them to their point of origin that much easier. The Wineries then send the distributors a check for the returned corks.Globally retailers and restaurants have already begun collecting corks.
