London's first natural cork recycling partnership

Published: 28 March, 2011

Top London hotel The Savoy and independent wine merchant Laithwaites have teamed up in a cork recycling scheme.

The green initiative sees both companies joining the I Love Natural Cork campaign in a bid to show the public how cork is 100% natural, recyclable and renewable.

Since the beginning of this year, The Savoy and Simpson's in the Strand - which is owned by the hotel - have been keeping all of its used corks. From this month, these will be collected by Laithwaites on a regular basis, shredded for a garden mulch that keeps moisture in and weeds out, and then spread on Laithwaites' own vineyard at Theale.

The scheme will be rolled out to other vineyards in Berkshire and Oxfordshire in the near future.

Debra Patterson, environmental ambassador for The Savoy, said: "Savoy is a place associated with drinking, dining and celebrations and so we hope to be able to contribute a substantial number of corks, thus showing the way for other properties to follow our example."

Tony Laithwaite, founder and owner of Laithwaites Wine, added: "Making sure corks are re-used and recycled is one way we can be play a small part in looking after our planet, so in turn it can look after us and help us to keep growing the grapes we need, to make the great wines they love."

The I Love Natural Cork campaign was launched last July by the Portuguese Cork Association and aims to persuade both wine consumers and those in the trade to choose wine with natural cork stoppers because of cork's environmental, economic and social/cultural benefits.

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