Uncork the Potential
The economic, social and environmental case for refillable wine bottles in Ontario
Report Highlights
Introduction
Ontario's wine industry generates $5.49 billion in economic impact and employs more than 22,000 people across 194 wineries.
Yet nearly all of the 40 million litres of Ontario wine sold through the LCBO in 2025 came in single-use glass bottles, most imported from China and Europe. This reliance on throwaway bottles drives up costs, creates supply chain vulnerabilities, and generates significant emissions. In total, glass bottles account for 29 per cent of wine production's carbon footprint.
Ontario can change this with a robust reuse program. The province already operates the Ontario Deposit Return Program (ODRP), which achieves an 86 per cent return rate for beer bottles and avoided 228 million single-use containers in 2023 alone. New modelling shows that applying the same approach to wine bottles would save wineries money, create jobs and dramatically reduce environmental impact.
What we stand to gain:
$0
in annual savings for Ontario wineries
0%
reduction in greenhouse gas emissions per bottle when switching from single-use to refillable glass
0
average number of uses per refillable wine bottle at an 86 per cent return rate
0
jobs created directly, supporting hundreds more indirectly
The Opportunity
Ontario already has the infrastructure for wine bottle refill. The ODRP diverted 161,262 tonnes of waste in 2025 and achieves an 86 per cent return rate for beer bottles. Modest investment in sorting and washing equipment, an estimated $1.7 million, would unlock major savings.
The economics are compelling. A single-use wine bottle costs 65 cents, compared to 52 cents per use for a refillable bottle. At an 86 per cent return rate, each bottle could be reused seven times, cutting per-use costs to 40 cents, meaning a 25-cent saving per bottle. For a 10 per cent shift to refillables, that's $780,000 in annual savings. Switching to refillables also reduces per-bottle greenhouse gas emissions by 69 per cent, equivalent to removing 435 cars from the road annually.
Ontario isn't alone. Revino in Oregon has partnered with over 100 wineries and distributed one million reusable bottles since 2023. The European Union is setting refill targets, and studies from Europe to Quebec confirm what Ontario's beer industry has known for decades: refillable bottles outperform single-use packaging on climate impact and job creation. In Germany, 73 per cent of beverage sector jobs involve reusables. By embracing refillables, Ontario wineries can cut costs, reduce emissions, and create local jobs using infrastructure that already exists.
“Reusing wine bottles is a win, win, win for the industry, the province and the environment. For an industry where agriculture is so important, it seems to me that this is an excellent stewardship initiative well worth pursuing.”
Andrew Howard, President, Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits
“Consumer buy-in is key to the success of reuse programs. By helping Ontarians become more familiar and comfortable with reuse, a wine bottle reuse system could support the development of similar programs for other high-waste products, such as takeaway cups and containers. Ontario’s wine industry has an opportunity to help lead that shift.”
Dr. Laurel Besco, Associate Professor, University of Toronto
"The circular economy turns waste into value. This report provides evidence that reusing glass wine bottles saves money for wineries, creates jobs in Ontario, and mitigates global warming. We must act now on this opportunity of genuine progress”
Jury Gualandris, PhD, Associate Professor of Operations Management and Sustainability, Ivey Business School at Western University
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Acknowledgements
This report was a collaboration between Environmental Defence Canada and Circulr. The lead authors were Karen Wirsig and Tyler De Sousa, with contributions from Charles Binks-Collier and Ashley Wallis.
Data modelling and simulations for this report were completed by Eunomia.
Data for this report was made available by several partners, including 13th Street Winery, Cave Spring Vineyard, Saxco, Owens-Illinois, and Malivoire Wine Company.
© Copyright December 2026 by ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE CANADA. Permission is granted to the public to reproduce or disseminate this report, in part, or in whole, free of charge, in any format or medium without requiring specific permission. Any errors or omissions are the responsibility of ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE CANADA.
