US Consumers Rank Quality, Price over Environmental Impact
Suntory goes all in on hydrogen
Recent McKinsey research shows that while sustainability matters to U.S. consumers, price, quality, and convenience continue to drive purchasing decisions. Consumers are most concerned about food safety and shelf life, with recyclability seen as the top sustainable feature. Suntory says from 2027 it will be the first in Japan to engage in all areas of the green hydrogen value chain from production to sales. Herbicide toxicity studies show glyphosate causes carcinogenic effects on rats over the long-term.
Marketing
The importance of price and quality, in particular, have increased substantially since 2020, with more than 70% of respondents now saying they are “very important” or “somewhat important” to their purchasing decisions across categories.
While about a third of consumers said the same of environmental factors, value for money is clearly more top of mind for consumers in 2025.
When thinking about packaging overall, US consumers are most—and increasingly—concerned with food safety and shelf life, reflecting a focus on reduced food waste and cost, with broader environmental impact less of a concern.
A product’s recyclability is the most important characteristic for US consumers when considering sustainability of packaging.
When asked to rank types of packaging based on their level of sustainability, US consumers surveyed perceive glass to be the most sustainable, followed by paper and metal.
Global: Bain & Company has published a new report on luxury packaging in collaboration with Fedrigoni Group, projecting that within the next three years, more than 30% of all luxury packaging sales are expected to use sustainable solutions. Packaging Europe
The findings draw on a survey of 500+ executives across the luxury packaging value chain in Europe, the Middle East and Africa including designers, suppliers, converters, and brands.
The report emphasizes how brands are applying the ‘four Rs’ (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover) in the luxury packaging space, substituting traditional materials with advanced papers, biodegradable polymers and mycelium-based solutions (an alternative harnessing the root structure of fungi).
Reducing packaging volume and weight to optimize transport efficiency and minimize trips is viewed as the most significant factor in improving the sustainability of the supply chain, with 43% of survey respondents ranking it as their top priority. 25% cited promoting reusable packaging to minimize waste and environmental impact, the second from top priority.
Napa Valley, CA: Napa Green launches a July promotion - Cheers to Climate Smart Wines! Press release via Wine Business
This campaign spotlights the climate action leadership of 17 winery partners.
Energy Use
Japan: Tokyo-based multinational Suntory Group will start selling hydrogen to external customers and using the gas for whisky distillation in Japan, despite scrapping plans for a hydrogen plant in the UK. The Drinks Business
Suntory says from 2027 it will be the first in Japan to engage in all areas of the green hydrogen value chain from production to sales.
As part of the new system, Suntory will run hydrogen boilers to sterilize water at one of its plants and explore the use of hydrogen for direct-fire distillation of whisky at its Hakushu Distillery.
Earlier this week Suntory announced it was scrapping plans for a hydrogen plant in Scotland after its funding bid was denied, due to local community concerns over hydrogen’s flammability.
The plant was due to become part of Suntory’s Auchentoshan Distillery, a Lowland single malt Scotch whisky distillery in Dalmuir, Scotland.
Diversity & Equity
Established in 2020, the account publishes testimonies from victims of sexual violence and sexual assault in the wine industry.
It was one of the original sources linking the Sancerre-based winemaker (Riffault) with a string of serious allegations, including rape, made against an unnamed winemaker in a Danish blog.
Riffault took Perraud to court for defamation with the latter eventually found guilty of "culpable recklessness" in 2023. Perraud was ordered to pay fines totaling just under €30,000 (an appeal case has since been dropped – in her own words, Perraud has "had enough" of the case).
She gets about 15 testimonies a month, a relatively typical case would be that of a student winemaker on a work experience secondment to a vineyard or winery.
Paye ton Pinard has been approached by the EU's DAPHNE initiative. In its own words, the project "aims to contribute to the protection of children, young people and women against all forms of violence", partly by providing more data around sexual and gender-based violence and assault. The first meeting for those in the project happens at the end of the month and it is due to span the next three years.
Human Resources
NY State: Opici Wines & Spirits has appointed Christopher Wirth as Director of Sustainability. Press release via Wine Business
In this newly created role, Wirth will drive the company’s sustainability strategy by identifying key impact areas and working internally and externally to reduce carbon emissions across the supply chain, enhance transparency and education.
Carbon Capture
Spain: A spin-off from a Spanish research institute has developed a metal–organic framework (MOF) that can capture carbon dioxide at room temperature, attracting the interest of one of the country’s biggest winemakers. Chemistry World
In a single step, this material purifies captured carbon dioxide to food-grade quality, leading Familia Torres to set up a pilot plant using the MOF to capture carbon dioxide released by yeast during fermentation.
Incorporating the material immediately reduces the emissions associated with fermentation.
With just a vacuum pump and without heating, carbon dioxide can be recovered from the MOF as a chemically pure product.
‘And it’s very low cost, under €40 (£34) per ton of CO2, which is approximately half the price of competitors,’ Stefano Giancola, chief technology officer at spin-off Orchestra Scientific.
Herbicide Use
Global: A recent study found carcinogenic effects of long-term exposure from prenatal life to glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides in Sprague–Dawley rats. Environmental Heath
They dispensed glyphosate and two GBHs, Roundup Bioflow used in the European Union (EU) and RangerPro used in the U.S., administered to male and female Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats, beginning at gestational day 6 (via maternal exposure) through 104 weeks of age.
Glyphosate was administered through drinking water at three doses: the EU acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 0.5 mg/kg body weight/day, 5 mg/kg body weight/day and the EU no-observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) of 50 mg/kg body weight/day.
In all 3 treatment groups, statistically significant dose-related increased trends or increased incidences of benign and malignant tumors at multiple anatomic sites were observed compared to historical and concurrent controls.
Legislation
New York, California and Illinois all have similar laws in place — while Washington’s ban will take effect in 2027.
Viticulture
EU: Researchers have called for the EU to allow new genomic techniques (NGTs), such as gene editing, in organic farming. AgTechNavigator
They argue this could help achieve the European Green Deal’s target of 25% organic agriculture by 2030, sparking renewed policy debate about the role of biotechnology in sustainable food systems
Currently 10% of EU farming is organic, EU institutions are currently debating how to regulate NGTs which did not exist when EU legislation on GMOs was adopted in 2001.
The study benchmarked 78 regenerating farms in 14 countries covering 7,000+ hectares from 2020-2023.
Regenerating farms scored on average 32% higher RFP than conventional farms. Yields averaged just 2% lower.
Sustainability
U.S. Code Title 7, calls sustainability “an integrated system of plant and animal production practices that, over the long term, satisfy human food and fiber needs.”
However, it is an umbrella term that essentially covers the full spectrum of more specific and certified practices like organic, biodynamic and regenerative.
He points to certification by third party audits as the only true path. Some programs are not third-party audited, the entity fills out the score-card themselves.
He argues true sustainability must address long-term viability without compromising the environment. The current system—what he calls chemical convenience—pollutes waterways, depletes organic matter, as it creates soils that are less alive, less absorbent, and less capable of supporting a resilient ecosystems.