Majestic unveils national cork recycling scheme

By Lisa Riley

Published: 07 September, 2021

Majestic has unveiled details of a nationwide cork recycling scheme in over 200 of its stores.

Working with the Portuguese Cork Association (APCOR), the aim of the scheme is to recycle over one million corks per year – equating to a reduction of over 309 tonnes of CO2 in the process, the retailer said.

Until now, nationwide cork recycling has not been available in the UK unlike in other parts of the world, according to Majestic, which claimed the scheme to be the first of its kind.

With collection hubs placed in every Majestic store, customers will be encouraged to return their natural corks and give the cork closure a new lease of life.

Once collected, the recycled natural corks will be sent to The Eden Project, Cornwall, which will be trialling the cork as a mulch around the Mediterranean plants.

“As a national retailer, we’re always looking at ways we can pull our weight in the climate crisis,” said Majestic CEO, John Colley.

“Cork represents a perfectly circular, environmentally friendly industry from cork oak to bottle–- with just one final missing component; what happens after the wine has been drunk.

“By working with APCOR we’re squaring the circle by giving our customers and stores the opportunity to continue a natural cork’s journey at The Eden Project,” he said.

Carlos de Jesus, APCOR campaign director, added: “Cork is about so much more than simply a closure. It’s a fabulous, natural product which has a story and history all of its own. The fact that we can add another chapter to that story, with hundreds of thousands of corks collected from right across the UK to be used at such an iconic site, is really thrilling.”

According to a study by PricewaterhouseCoopers, corks are by the most environmentally friendly form of wine closure – over 20 times more so than screw caps.

Last week, Majestic revealed details of its new subscription model – Wine Club’ by Majestic.

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