Then there’s the recent rise of environmental packaging regulation by individual governments, from the UK’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme to the EU’s Packaging & Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), and the National Packaging Targets set out by the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO). Against this increasingly regulatory backdrop, how much do wine producers still need to consider consumer preference when deciding which closure to use for a specific market? Emotional connection“Consumer perception remains the single most influential factor in determining the success of cork closures across different markets,” insists Nuno Silva, global marketing manager at Portuguese cork producer MA Silva. Visual appealAt Amcor, as with many other closure producers, that means technical performance and visual appeal must sit alongside sustainability in a growing number of key markets. Cork collection In the meantime, Amorim is supporting the Portuguese Cork Association’s (APCOR) UK Cork Harvest recycling initiative.