The integration of a sustainable packaging process in the supply chain : The case of the French wine industry.

Abstract: With the rise of awareness of climate change, sustainable development has become a recurring topic in discussions concerning global development, the environment, and society. Packaging has long been a part of a ‘take-make-dispose’ linear model that has caused damage to our ecosystem and has led to the search for more sustainable alternatives. While literature relating to sustainable packaging processes exists, there is an absence of knowledge on which packaging processes are being applied, and how. Given that the French wine industry is prestigious and takes pride in tradition and quality, the question of transitioning to more sustainable packaging processes merits further research.  The purpose of this paper is to study the gap between the range of sustainable packaging approaches that are theoretically suggested in the literature and the approaches that are practically applied within organisations by exploring how and why packaging processes are integrated into the supply chain, in the French wine industry.  This research is qualitative and adopts the interpretivism paradigm. Primary data is collected through semi-structured interviews with players that occupy all the positions along the French wine industry’s packaging supply chain.  The findings show that sustainable packaging approaches are not being integrated into the supply chains in the French wine industry. (1) There are no realistic solutions available or track record to be followed. (2) The focus is still set on having clear economic benefits which the current sustainable packaging alternatives do not offer. (3) The long loop of circular economy is being used, which is based on recycling. (4) A need for collective awareness is needed, as well as a desire to change, for sustainable packaging processes to be integrated into the supply chain.