From grape waste to regenerative wine bottle

Students at RMIT have developed a regenerative wine bottle made from upcycling the solid remains of grapes after vinification. The bottles are fully organic and biodegradable at end of their use.

The innovation has won a finalist position at the 2020 City of Melbourne Open Innovation competition and a spot in the RMIT Activator LaunchHUB program.

T'Wine — a concept focused on upcycling waste produced by the wine industry — was created by Master of Design Innovation and Technology (MDIT) students Amanda Pacheco Bravo, Shimroth John Thomas and Joseph Oliver Yap.

The students developed a range of products including reusable bottles and a service-based app that is used to manage purchases with a digital label.

Thomas said the group began by exploring biopolymers for the concept while keeping in mind a circular approach. "We made a conscious effort to choose a waste material that wouldn't compete with a food source. This led us to grape waste, Australia's largest horticultural waste sector," he said.

The RMIT Activator LaunchHUB offers a 12-week program that will give the group financial, legal and business support in the lead-up to a launch. The students completed the project in a biodesign studio run by Industry Fellow and Lecturer Dr Ollie Cotsaftis.

T'Wine is in the process of contacting stakeholders in the wine industry and preparing for the LaunchHUB program, which begins in November.

Image credit: RMIT.