As concern over the damage humankind is doing to the environment grows, more and more companies and individuals try to find new ways to make their habits more in tune with the planet for a sustainable way to live - and now, that includes the new recyclable wine cork.
The past few months have seen the release of some of the world's most interesting technologies in regards to food and health, from the recyclable wine cork to a pepper grinder that turns off devices near it for a "offline" dinner talk and even the creation of food packaging made from crustacean shells instead of plastics.
According to The Independent, the new recyclable wine cork comes from US-based company Normacorc, which has named its product Select Bio as it's about to go on sale in the United Kingdom; and it doesn't really feel different from a regular one.
While the discussion about whether wine should be topped by cork or screw top has kept people wondering for decades, the new option provided by the recyclable wine cork comes from an entirely different source altogether: it's actually made from a biopolymer that derives from the sugarcane (particularly Brazilian) usually used for biofuels.
In other words, there are no stripped bark or cork trees damaged in the making of the recyclable wine cork.
The Daily Mail reports that the Select Bio is also carbon-neutral, an interesting point considering that wines that open through screw-tops are heavily criticized over the chemical compound, as it has been shown that they contain 25 more CO2 than traditional cork.
"Select® Bio uses Nomacorc's proprietary PlantcorcTM technology to provide a sustainable closure with superior performance and consistent oxygen control while minimizing environmental impact by preventing spoilage and waste from wine fault," is how the company's website describes the new recyclable wine cork technology, which can be purchased at Waitrose.
