Barangé, a cork manufacturer located in France’s champagne region exhibiting at Paris Packaging Week, has turned its attention to the recycling and upcycling of champagne corks. It is part of the Epsyvin circular economy program set up by Comité Champagne, the organization that regulates professional practices in the wine sector.
With the help of its subsidiary EOS Innovation, Barangé transforms recycled cork into different types of objects, including boxes and candle holders. Its star product is a stool shaped like a champagne cork. Each one is made of more than 2,000 champagne and other wine corks, from both post-consumer and production and bottling scraps from the industry.
The sorting and crushing of the corks is carried out by an establishment employing workers with disabilities. The material is then molded at Barangé. All the decoration and personalization operations are done in the region: laser, pad printing, embroidery of the cushion...
"Cork recycling is often done abroad, particularly in the Iberian Peninsula, which implies significant transport,” says Charles Barangé, Operations Director of the group. “We want to demonstrate the coherence of a project that is both ecological and societal and encourages local know-how."
