American Airlines begins wine cork recycling program

Admirals Club lounges team with ReCORK to recycle and reuse natural cork closures

-- Packaging Digest, 8/24/2009 3:13:00 PM

As American Airlines Admirals Club locations continue to celebrate the company's 70th birthday, all those recently popped corks are getting recycled.

The Admirals Club lounge has partnered with ReCORK America and Sodexo to begin an environment-friendly recycling program to reduce the number of wine corks that end up in landfills.

According to Amorim, sponsor of ReCORK America, more than 13 billion natural cork wine stoppers are produced worldwide for the wine industry each year. This new initiative, offered in every domestic Admirals Club lounge plus the San Juan location, will recycle natural wine corks - those made from cork material - used by the clubs or brought into the clubs by customers, by donating them to ReCORK America. In turn, ReCORK America will send them to manufacturers that can turn them into items such as shoe soles or flooring.

"We are pleased to work with ReCORK America to recycle and reuse products that would normally be thrown away," said Nancy Knipp, President - Admirals Club. "Even small items such as wine corks, when recycled, can make a big difference to our environment."

The Admirals Club lounges located in 24 cities will collect corks for the program: Dallas/Ft. Worth, Chicago O'Hare, Miami, New York LaGuardia, New York JFK, Boston, Los Angeles, St. Louis, San Jose, Washington Reagan National, Washington Dulles, Raleigh/Durham, Atlanta, Austin, Denver, Honolulu, Kansas City, Nashville, Newark, Orange County, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, and San Juan.

"Natural cork wine closures are ideal for recycling because they are a truly sustainable resource, and one of the few forms of product packaging that is 100 percent recyclable, biodegradable and completely environmentally friendly," said Roger Archey, Spokesperson - ReCORK America. "Cork is also a natural retainer of CO2 and helps fight global warming."

Lately, American's Admirals Club lounges have had a few more corks to recycle than usual as they toast their 70th birthday. In 1939, American Airlines opened the airline industry's first VIP lounge at LaGuardia Airport in New York. Today, seven decades later, more than 40 clubs are located worldwide.

SOURCE: American Airlines