In keeping with a commitment to develop its sustainability initiatives, events at the 2011 Grammy Awards served wine sealed exclusively with natural cork.
And ReCORK by Amorim, the US recycling program of the world leader in wine stoppers, has arranged the recycling of all natural corks extracted at the events. The partnership with the Grammy Awards was developed through 100% Cork, a campaign funded by the Portuguese Cork Association (APCOR) and the USbased Cork Quality Council to educate consumers about the benefits of choosing wine with real cork stoppers.
Wines sealed with cork were served at the MusiCares Person of The Year fundraiser honouring Barbra Streisand two days prior to the awards ceremony and at the official Grammy Awards celebration on Sunday 13 February.
Venues for both events were equipped with special cork recycling containers provided by ReCORK. The corks collected at the Grammy events will eventually be incorporated into footwear produced by SOLE, a Canadian shoe manufacturer and major partner in the ReCORK program.
“Choosing cork over petroleum‐based or metal wine stoppers is one of the many small but helpful decisions that consumers can make every day to improve the health of our planet,” said Allen Hershkowitz PhD, a senior scientist at the USbased Natural Resources Defense Council.
“I applaud the Grammys and other high‐profile events that have embraced sustainability programs to protect biodiversity and reduce their carbon footprints.”
Natural cork is one of the world’s most sustainable products. Renewable, biodegradable and recyclable, its use provides an economic incentive to preserve vast cork oak forests in the Mediterranean Basin that trap greenhouse
gases, prevent desertification and provide habitat for hundreds of plant and animal species.
ReCORK by Amorim is a natural wine cork recycling program that has collected over 14 million corks since its inception in 2007 and, in partnership with SOLE, has sponsored the planting of nearly 4500 cork oak trees. ReCORK’s goal is to recycle corks and to educate and inform its audiences about the crucial role cork forests play in curbing climate change.
The program has recycling partnerships with many familiar names in the US wine, hospitality and retail markets and each year enters into a number of eventbased partnerships such as the association with the 2011 Grammy Awards.