The Reycorks project is an innovative initiative focused on reducing carbon emissions by transforming the end-of-life management of wine stoppers, a significant yet often overlooked waste stream in the wine industry. Each year in France alone, around 6,000 kilotonnes (kt) of cork stoppers are used, but only about 350 kt are currently recycled. The vast majority are discarded and ultimately incinerated or burned, contributing to unnecessary carbon emissions and resource loss. This challenge is compounded by the fact that wine stoppers are increasingly made from a mix of materials—natural cork, plastic, and agglomerated cork—which complicates recycling efforts. Their small size makes them difficult for conventional recycling centers to identify and sort, resulting in a largely manual process that is inefficient and incomplete.
Reycorks was developed to address these challenges and unlock the environmental and economic value of recycling wine stoppers. The project’s main objective is to provide a scalable, automated sorting solution that can accurately categorize all types of wine stoppers into four recycling streams: 100% cork, 100% plastic, agglomerated corks, and others. By doing so, Reycorks enables the efficient recycling of materials that would otherwise be incinerated, with each recycled cork stopper saving approximately 10 grams of CO2 equivalent emissions.
The Reycorks system is designed not only to improve recycling rates but also to capture valuable data about each stopper, including information on the wine producer and cork supplier. This data has significant implications for the wine industry. In France, for example, wine producers are taxed based on the packaging units they introduce to the market. By identifying and tracking their corks, producers can demonstrate improved end-of-life management and potentially reduce their tax burden. This creates a strong incentive for producers to participate in the Reycorks system and to advance their sustainability initiatives.
The project has already secured clients willing to pay for sorting services, as well as industrial manufacturers eager for high-quality recycled cork and plastic materials. These manufacturers, based in France, Portugal, and other European countries, currently pay between 300 and 700 euros per tonne for such materials. The recycled corks are used as raw materials in a variety of eco-designed products, supporting circular economy principles and reducing the need for virgin cork—a resource that has become increasingly scarce in regions like Catalonia due to climate change and poor harvests.
Reycorks is designed for scalability, with plans to expand operations beyond France to other major wine-producing countries such as Spain, Portugal, and Italy. By providing a reliable supply of recycled cork and plastic, the project supports the development of sustainable products and helps balance regional cork shortages.
In summary, Reycorks offers a comprehensive solution to a complex waste problem, turning discarded wine stoppers into valuable resources, reducing carbon emissions, and supporting the wine industry’s transition to more sustainable practices. By leveraging advanced sorting technology and data capture, Reycorks not only improves recycling efficiency but also empowers producers and manufacturers to meet environmental and regulatory goals, making it a model for circular innovation in the agrifood sector.
Project Partners
