SÃO PAULO, Brazil — ProWine São Paulo, the largest professional wine and spirits trade show in the Americas, broke records this year, reporting 1,402 exhibiting brands from 34 countries and 15,000 attendees.
The event, a geo-cloned version of Messe Düsseldorf’s ProWein, is jointly organized by Messe Düsseldorf, Emme Brasil and Inner Group.
For the first time, ProWine São Paulo incorporated a glass crushing machine in 2024 to destroy used bottles, combating counterfeiting and facilitating the recycling process as part of the event’s Glass is Good program.
“This strategy was used because we are committed to transforming the event into a platform for
positive impact, going beyond business,” Malu Sevieri, Director of ProWine São Paulo, said. “The Glass is Good program exemplifies how we can promote sustainable changes in the glass production chain. By recycling the bottles and broken glasses used during the fair, we reduce the environmental impact while generating income for waste picker communities. This creates a virtuous cycle that benefits both the environment and society. Our goal is to strengthen this culture of socio-environmental responsibility, as we believe the future of the sector depends on the sustainable actions we take now.”
Preventing Fraud
According to Cristiane Foja, Executive President of the Brazilian Beverage Association – Abrabe, the growing popularity of cocktail-making and mixology makes high-value alcoholic beverages a target for counterfeiting.
“The solution to counterfeiting is the proper disposal of empty beverage bottles. There’s no counterfeiting without an improperly discarded empty bottle. That’s why Abrabe invests in the Glass is Good program,” Foja explained.
ProWine São Paulo’s glass crushing machine, operating at the end of each day of the show, made sure that empty bottles were destroyed and unusable by counterfeiters.
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Strengthening a Sustainable Image
The glass crushing machine decreased CO2 emissions by minimizing trips to collect materials from the show’s pavilion and made the glass recycling process more efficient. Sevieri explained that it was widely praised at the show.
“Exhibitors and attendees have reacted extremely positively to the recycling strategy … further strengthening ProWine São Paulo’s image as an innovative and conscious event. Exhibitors were particularly pleased to associate their brands with an event that promotes environmental responsibility in a concrete way, adding value to their own sustainable initiatives,” Sevieri said. “Glass is Good is a pioneer in Brazil, promoting post-consumer bottle reverse logistics and generating income for waste picker cooperatives and environmental companies that process and properly dispose of recycled glass.”
Foja shared that the program has saved 105,000 megawatt-hours of energy and recycled more than 222,000 tons of glass over the last 14 years.
ProWine São Paulo also promotes sustainable waste strategies and holds masterclasses on legal and ethical practices in the production chain.
To learn more about the event, click here.
