Sustainable Wine Packaging: Evolution and Alternatives
Fifteen years ago (has it really been that long!?) I worked for a well-known national pub company. Always striving to be on the cutting edge of new drinks trends, they decided to list a white and red wine packaged in Tetra Pak. If memory serves, these wines were Italian—Trebbiano and Sangiovese—and their quality wasn’t half bad. Surprisingly, despite their eco-credentials, they just didn't sell. Wine drinkers simply weren't ready for their wine to be served from a milk carton.
Fast forward to today, and there’s been significant innovation in wine packaging and consumer attitudes are slowly changing. It's no longer just about the obligatory train or festival wines—sustainable packaging is making its way into mainstream wine sales.
What’s Wrong with Glass?
Glass is waterproof and, more importantly, airtight, which preserves the wine’s freshness. However, there’s a downside: glass is the largest contributor to wine’s carbon footprint, accounting for 30% to 40% on average. Some studies suggest that figure jumps to 74% when shipping is considered.
One of the significant issues with glass is its weight. Transporting heavy bottles adds to carbon emissions. Moreover, while many believe that glass's recyclability makes it sustainable, the reality is less promising. Here in the UK, only a little over 50% of glass is recycled, despite widespread efforts to promote recycling. Complications arise because wine bottles come in various colours—clear, green, and brown—each requiring separate recycling processes. Whether a bottle can be recycled often depends on the local recycling infrastructure, making it a bit of a postcode lottery.
Additionally, glass production is highly energy-intensive, contributing further to the wine industry’s carbon footprint. Producing and transporting glass bottles uses substantial amounts of energy, even when recycled glass is incorporated into the process.
Innovation in Glass:
Companies like Encirc are pushing boundaries by producing 100% recycled glass bottles using energy derived entirely from burning ultra-low-carbon biofuels. This innovation dramatically reduces the carbon footprint of glass bottles, making them a more sustainable option. However, such methods are not yet widespread and face challenges in scalability.
Exploring Alternatives:
As environmental consciousness grows, the wine industry is exploring several alternatives to traditional glass packaging:
Cans: Aluminum cans have emerged as a viable packaging option. Lightweight, highly recyclable, and convenient for casual settings, wine in cans has gained popularity, especially for single-serve or on-the-go consumption. Cans significantly reduce the carbon footprint associated with transportation compared to heavy glass bottles.
Bag-in-box: Similar to the Tetrapak that failed to catch on 15 years ago, the bag-in-box concept features a plastic bag housed inside a cardboard box. The wine is kept fresh for weeks after opening, making it ideal for casual drinkers. This packaging is lighter, easier to recycle, and has a much lower carbon footprint than glass.
Keg Wines: An increasingly popular option for restaurants and bars, keg wines offer a sustainable alternative by reducing packaging waste and transportation emissions and increase wine’s visibility on the bar. Each keg holds the equivalent of around 26 bottles of wine, and since the keg can be reused multiple times, it drastically cuts down on single-use packaging.
Bottling in the Country of Sale: Shipping wine in bulk and bottling it in the country of sale is another effective way to reduce carbon emissions. By transporting the wine in large containers, producers minimize the weight and volume compared to individual bottles, lowering fuel consumption during transportation. Once in the destination country, the wine can be bottled locally, reducing shipping-related emissions and supporting local bottling industries.
Lightweight Glass Bottles: Many wine producers are opting for lightweight glass bottles, which use less material and energy in manufacturing. While still not as environmentally friendly as cans or boxes, they represent an incremental improvement over traditional heavy glass and are an easier sell to consumers.
Other Sustainable Innovations: Beyond packaging, winemakers are adopting eco-friendly solutions such as recycled paper labels, biodegradable ink, and corks from sustainable forests.
The Road Ahead:
As consumer demand for sustainability increases, the wine industry must adapt to more environmentally conscious packaging solutions. While glass remains a staple for wine packaging, the future likely holds a mix of alternatives - all aimed at reducing wine’s carbon footprint and ensuring that our enjoyment of a good glass is a little kinder to the planet.