Leading glass bottle manufacturer and filler, Encirc and New Zealand’s leading producer of high-quality wine, Indevin have announced a partnership to bottle a selection of the award-winning Villa Maria wines in-market at Encirc’s Cheshire site in the UK.
The new partnership will significantly lower the carbon footprint of wine from one of New Zealand’s most iconic wineries and allow Villa Maria to provide a more agile service to a crucial market.
Commencing in early 2024, the partnership will see Villa Maria further reduce the carbon footprint of its bottles by taking advantage of Encirc’s unique 360 offering. By shipping wine in bulk directly to the manufacturer’s plant in Cheshire, it will more than halve the amount of ship movements to the UK that would have been otherwise needed to transport filled bottles. The model could help Villa Maria reduce the carbon footprint of each bottle by around 170 grammes.
After manufacturing and filling the bottles onsite, Encirc will then send them directly to retailers, making further carbon savings.
The new partnership has been driven by a shared commitment to operating sustainably. Encirc’s ambitious sustainability goals include supporting its suppliers and customers to reduce their carbon impact through supply chain innovations and working collaboratively towards a greener glass container and beverage industry. As a founding member of Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand, meanwhile, sustainability has long been at the core of Villa Maria’s operations and the new partnership will support it in meeting its carbon reduction objectives.
Joining forces with Encirc will also enable Villa Maria to provide a better service to UK customers, work faster to fulfil customer orders, and respond better to fluctuations in demand. This will add crucial agility to a supply chain that stretches more than 11,000 miles across the globe.
Duncan McFarlane, CEO at Indevin Group, said: “In-market bottling is a sustainable initiative that we’ve been wanting to do for some time with Villa Maria, mainly from an environmental perspective but also because it’ll increase the quality of service we’re able to provide to customers in the UK. We’re now ready to implement it thanks to the partnership with Encirc, and we’re really pleased that we’ll soon be able to bring some of New Zealand’s most awarded wines to the UK with a much smaller carbon footprint.”
Adrian Curry, Managing Director at Encirc, added: “Shipping in bulk is a no-brainer for the drinks industry, but it requires pro-active collaboration from across the sector to realise its potential and cut emissions right across the supply chain. Encirc’s partnership with Indevin is a perfect example of how we need to work together. We’re delighted to be working with one of New Zealand’s most well-respected wineries and to play a part in helping to bring outstanding wine to the UK sustainably.”
