11.01.2017

#nofilter: Products from all corners of the globe – and emissions from logistics

A bottle of wine is often a true globetrotter. It may have been on the road for as long as two months and travelled tens of thousands of kilometers on its way to Alko’s assortment.

Sea freight is environmentally the least burdening, especially if a light-weight or PET bottle is used as the packaging. The majority of drinks from outside of Europe are imported on board container ships, in freight containers. Method of transport can also change along the way, even multiple times. Within Europe drinks travel mostly in trucks, some also by rail. Air freight due to its high cost is used mostly for transporting small special batches. Sea freight is cost-effective but environmentally not completely harmless as the sulphur dioxide and nitric oxide emissions damage air quality.

Transportation emissions can be reduced by changing how wines are packaged and freighted. Sea freight in large 25 000 litre flexitanks – those are like gigantic wine bags – and bottling/packaging only after arrival cause the smallest emissions. One freight container can hold about 12,000 wine bottles whereas a flexi-tank has room for liquid to fill about 32,000 wine bottles. A light-weight glass bottle weighs about 300-400 grams which is 20-30% less than a standard wine bottle. PET wine bottles are the lightest of them all, only weighing about 50 grams. And let’s not forget bag-in-boxes: a full pallet of them weighs less than a third compared to same amount of wine packaged in glass bottles. The bigger the package size, the smaller the CO2 emissions per liter.

The most un-ecological end result is that the product gets spoiled during the transport. Vibration, temperature changes or risk of freezing luckily only rarely cause bigger problems because the containers are compactly loaded and while onboard they are under the deck protected from sun and freeze. On road transport they too use temperature-regulated methods.

Glass bottling as the wine package bears hundreds of years of tradition and many aesthetic and quality perceptions. What kind of a packaging innovation could replace the old favorite? Join the discussion via our Twitter channel @Alko_Sustain with hashtags #nofilter #Alkochallenge #transparency.

#nofilter

Rum – deliciously sugary sweet, with a challenging supply chain

Here in Finland, we often associate rum with hot drinks to warm you up on winter days. However, rum has its roots far from the snowy north – all the way back in the 15th-century Caribbean. At that time, rum was believed to have healing properties. It was consumed as a cure for tropical diseases. It has since been discovered that rum actually has the opposite effect – it is made from sugar cane, which is cultivated in conditions that are now known to cause CKDnT (Chronic Kidney Disease of undetermined causes) in plantation workers.

Young people face conflicting pressures from different alcohol cultures

Families that move to Finland from different cultural and language backgrounds often run into the alcohol culture and habits of Finns – especially through the young members of the family – which may differ radically from the habits and customs of the parents.

A mother with intoxicant abuse problems needs to be supported rather than blamed

Intoxicant use during motherhood is an emotionally volatile issue – it is often considered reprehensible for a mother to abuse intoxicants. For this reason, the threshold for seeking assistance can be high, even though it is crucially important for both the expectant mother and new child to get help.

Alko at the Anti-substance Abuse Days – threat or opportunity?

This year, Alko decided to run its own stand at the Anti-substance Abuse Days to raise awareness of an important theme – FASD – in collaboration with the Finnish Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. However, here at Alko, the idea of participating did make us think. Can Alko promote FASD awareness in the way we’d like? Will taking part be a threat or an opportunity?

Green choices for wine shopping

Concerns over the state of our planet have made many of us think about how we can be greener in our consumption choices. For instance, there has been much discussion about the impact of food choices on the environment. In addition to making sustainable choices for a dinner party, you can also be environmentally friendly in your wine picks. The next time you go shopping for festive beverages, take this three-point checklist with you.

A good home is the best intoxicant education

No fewer than 47% of young people think that the desire for a healthy lifestyle reduces interest in drinking alcohol.

Alcohol seeps into daily life without you noticing

I spent last year watching the world through “alcohol-aware glasses.” I examined how people use alcohol, how they talk about it and how they illustrate it.

If they start again

As the holidays approach, the children and young people’s helpline often receives calls from children whose Christmas spirit is rather low.

Annoyed to buy a plastic bag?

I’m going shopping and realize midway that I’ve forgotten my shopper despite all the good intentions. At the checkout counter I buy a plastic bag even though it is annoying. Sounds familiar?

Alcohol continues to play a large role in student culture

Although alcohol consumption has declined among young people since the turn of the millennium, many student events still revolve around alcohol.

#nofilter: Is it possible to talk about alcohol responsibly?

It is fairly safe to say that alcohol has always been a contentious issue in Finland. The debate has been heated at times especially in recent years when alcohol laws have come under scrutiny.

Grilled fish is delicious – and it’s good for the Baltic Sea, too

Due to the record-breaking heat of the summer, an unwelcome nuisance has once again washed up on our shores: blue-green algae that prevent swimming. The Baltic Sea is also threatened by garbage pollution. Here are a few small daily acts each of us can do to make our waters cleaner.