Reusable glass bottles have changed the game for wineries — and the environment — in the Pacific Northwest.
Revino wine bottles can be used, cleaned, and refilled up to 50 times, according to Fast Company. Co-founders Keenan O'Hern and Adam Rack, who met in 2022, wanted to create a market for reusable wine bottles in their home state by selling the bottles to wineries.
Revino works with more than 70 wineries across the state of Oregon. The sustainable company retrieves the empty bottles from the wineries and properly sanitizes them for future use. Customers can also bring their used bottles to designated return sites.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported that only 31.3% of glass was recycled in 2018. Unfortunately, the majority of glass winds up in landfills instead. Revino aims to change that narrative with its reusable wine bottles.
"Pint glasses at a restaurant or wine glasses are used hundreds of times," Rack told Fast Company. "These bottles don't break when you throw them in the trash because they're so heavy and thick — but [people still] throw them away. And they're gone. There's value there!"
The company offers incentives for wineries to take part in the sustainable initiative. For example, wineries can receive a 10-cent credit on future glass purchases for each Revino bottle returned.
Fast Company described Revino's founders as "critics of single-use packaging." Single-use plastics, in particular, are a great concern when it comes to the environment. Many states have even implemented bans.
Millions of metric tons of plastic enter the ocean each year, per the Natural Resources Defense Council. Plastic breaks down into smaller pieces called microplastics, which can disrupt ecosystems and harm human health. While glass is more sustainable than plastic, the product still has its downsides.
Glass production emits heat-trapping pollution into the atmosphere, and single-use glass can take up to 1 million years to decompose in landfills, according to the BBC. Reusable wine bottles could be a long-term solution for wineries looking for planet-friendly options.
The benefits of reusable packaging don't just apply to wine. American consumers spend an average of $260 on disposable water bottles each year. Purchasing reusable bottles is a money-saving investment that benefits the environment, too.
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Meanwhile, Revino is expected to sell nearly 500,000 bottles in 2025. The company has already begun working with other wineries along the West Coast, including businesses in Napa Valley. Rack and O'Hern have plans to expand their company to other regions of the country as well.
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