The Portuguese Cork Association (APCOR) and the Natural Cork Council (NCC) have released details of a US-focused campaign around the sustainable credentials of cork closures.
The push, titled ‘Drink Responsibly. Choose a Bottle with a Natural Cork’, will focus on “major metropolitan cities” in the country, the associations told Global Drinks Intel. Activations include a 12-week digital advert in New York’s Times Square, social media content and “additional traditional digital ads”, as well as collaborations with consumer events.
Spend on the activity, which will run until next April, was not disclosed.
The APCOR and NCC said the campaign “invites consumers to make mindful choices by identifying natural cork as an essential element of a premium wine and spirits experience”. They added: “By emphasising that natural cork is a renewable, sustainable, and recyclable closure, the initiative encourages a deeper appreciation for the role of packaging in both product quality and responsible consumption.”
APCOR’s board president, Paulo Américo Oliveira, added: “For generations, cork has been the gold standard for quality and sustainability in wine and spirits. We are empowering consumers to see that true responsibility extends to the bottle itself, making natural cork part of the responsible drinking concept.”
Based in Oregon, the NCC counts Constellation Brands-owned High West Distillery, Disaronno Group’s Sagamore Whiskey and Next Century Spirits’ Chicken Cock Whiskey among its ‘spirit partners’. The non-profit’s ‘winery partners’ include Loosen Bros-owned Appassionata Estate, J Lohr Vineyards & Wines, Sonoma’s Dry Creek Vineyard and Mondavi family-owned winery Charles Krug.
In other sustainable-packaging news, last month Bacardi built on its cruise ship-focused tie-up with circular packaging specialist Ecospirits, expanding the arrangement for the former’s namesake rum.
