Lighter glass, paper bottles and biodegradable materials are all playing key roles in helping wine and spirits brand owners become more sustainable. But, how far has the beverage alcohol industry come – and how much further does it have to go?
From the use of heavyweight glass bottles as a premiumisation cue to discarded ring pulls and ostentatious gift boxes, the packaging excesses of the alcohol industry are all around us. While a substantial reliance on single-use plastic may give soft drinks a larger bill for damaging the environment, alcohol is not without sin. Now more than ever, producers, brand owners off-premise operators are setting ambitious targets to reduce packaging waste and switch to greener alternatives.
In the UK, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are responsible for a third of the environmental impact from supermarket packaging. The figure comes from the Institute of Grocery Distribution, which has called on stakeholders from across FMCG to halve the UK packaging system’s environmental impact by 2030.
Are thinner, lighter bottles and better glass recycling a solution?
Since the wine and spirits sectors’ primary packaging material is widely recyclable, there is a common assumption that the environmental effects of glass are minimal. However, campaigners warn that this complacency is dangerous. To produce and transport glass requires a huge amount of energy – and generates masses of carbon dioxide.
NGO Zero Waste Europe points out that recycled glass still uses 75% of the energy required to make new bottles. Earlier this year, the organisation commissioned research that demonstrated the threat that drinks packaging poses to the UN’s ‘net-zero by 2050’ pledge, with single-use glass set to exceed its allocated carbon budget by 200%.
“Our findings indicate that justifying the continued use of single-use glass, in particular, will become progressively more difficult, despite the obstacles faced by alternative materials,” says Simon Hann, principal consultant at Eunomia, which conducted the research for Zero Waste Europe.
The obstacles are indeed numerous. For high-value liquids such as wine and spirits, which require secure containers that both preserve the taste and display its quality credentials, sustainable packaging innovation is no mean feat. But as the catastrophic effects of climate change become ever-more apparent, brands are pouring time and money into creating alternative solutions.
One way in which brand owners are approaching the problem is through thinner, and thus lighter, glass bottles. In 2021, Diageo embarked on a pilot project to produce a new bottle for Johnnie Walker Black Label – one of the blende Scotch whisky’s best-selling expressions – which will use significantly less raw material and will be much lighter to transport. The innovation, which is still being laboratory-tested, uses technology that adds a coating to the glass to reduce micro-cracks, without impacting its recyclability.
Elsewhere, Turkey-based glass manufacturer GCA has also invested in lightweighting projects, as well as large-scale recycling drives. “[Being] able to source more cullet [waste glass used to make new glass] for recycling domestically will be a critical step,” says GM Dr Abdullah Gayret. “[The] rate of glass collection for recycling in Europe is 80% – in order for this rate to be achieved in our country, serious awareness and infrastructure work is required.”
In 2022, GCA co-launched a project with waste management organisation the Bircam Foundation and glass producer Park Cam to promote recycling in Turkey and reintroduce recyclable waste into the economy. Over a 14-month period, the Ekomat initiative saw 1.9m units of glass, plastic and metal beverage packaging waste collected through local deposit machines.
The project, says Bircam president Ömer Kızıl, creates a “circular economy model” with cullet transformed into new glass bottles, plastic waste into textile products and metal waste into personal care items such as toothpaste tubes.
Beyond glass – Paper innovations lead bottle experimentation
With packaging technology advances starting to come online, some brands are experimenting beyond glass to reduce their carbon footprints. Paper bottle innovation in particular has generated significant media coverage, though few are commercially available at present.
Some of the world’s biggest spirits brand owners – including Diageo, Bacardi and Pernod Ricard – have unveiled plans to launch paper-based bottles. In 2020, Diageo launched Pulpex, a sustainable packaging technology company, to create a scalable paper bottle that is completely plastic-free, fully recyclable and can be used across a range of consumer goods. Despite a planned 2021 launch date, the product remains in the testing phase.
“Since we announced the paper bottle, we’ve carried out several rounds of technical testing and consumer research with Pulpex,” a group spokesperson says. “We’ve been prototyping, exploring different formats and closures, and performing sensory and shelf-life testing. Our work has resulted in steady design and performance improvements but, of course, getting it just right for Johnnie Walker’s quality takes time.
“We refuse to compromise on product and pack performance, so we’re working through the challenges we keep facing.”
Bio-based and compostable bottles
Pernod Ricard’s The Absolut Group division, meanwhile, has spent the summer piloting the first generation of its paper bottle in the UK city of Manchester, marking a step towards the company’s longer-term goal of creating a 100% bio-based bottle. Developed in partnership with Denmark’s Paboco, the current iteration is made from 57% paper, with an ‘integrated barrier’ of recyclable plastic. The bottle has been designed to withstand temperatures of fridges and freezers, although Absolut’s director of future packaging, Elin Furelid, notes that some consumers and bartenders were initially sceptical about its core functionality.
“I suspect these reservations might have stemmed from past experiences with subpar paper products, like the early versions of soggy paper straws,” she says. “However, once they used our bottle, this scepticism turned into enthusiasm and positivity.”
Feedback from the three-month trial will inform the next version of the bottle, which will again be tested in-market to get additional insight. In the future, Absolut aims to use a range of packaging materials suited to different markets, consumers and occasions, says Furelid. “Our single-mould paper-based bottle will be part of our packaging portfolio and will complement Absolut’s iconic glass bottle, not replace it.”
Like Absolut, Bacardi is preparing to launch both a paper-based and biodegradable bottle as part of its drive to become totally plastic-free by 2030. Developed in collaboration with biodegradable goods manufacturer Danimer Scientific, the bottle will be made using a biopolymer derived from canola [rapeseed] oil and will biodegrade in 18 months.
The group had planned to launch the compostable bottle this year but, again, development is taking longer than expected.
“[As] with any truly pioneering work, the research and development required does take time,” says Bacardi’s senior director for global packaging development, Sergio Arellano. “The work is ongoing and the good news is that as part of the R&D process, we have identified other opportunities to replace single-use plastic, including tamper-evident bands and closure liners with a revolutionary new plant-based biopolymer.”
One innovation that is already gaining traction on the market is Avallen Calvados’s Frugalpac paper bottle, made from 94% recycled paper and containing a food-grade pouch to preserve the liquid. Initially launched through high-end UK retailer Harvey Nichols, the bottle is now widely available online and via a number of stockists.
“Changing culture and traditions is incredibly hard, and people are used to their spirits, wine and beer coming in glass,” says Avallen co-founder Tim Etherington-Judge. “But we’re starting to see a shift and I’m very positive that we’re just at the start of a revolution in drinks packaging, which is very exciting.”
Will consumers adopt?
Old habits die hard, though, and while the alcohol industry is working towards a more sustainable future in packaging, are consumers ready to accept what they have to offer? Research suggests there’s some way to go in this regard.
According to IWSR Drinks Market Analysis COO of consumer insights custom analytics Richard Halstead, for wine drinkers, sustainable packaging is a less significant purchase driver than practical cues such as taste, style, price and occasion.
“The main challenges are convincing the market to pay more for sustainability for its own sake, and/or to move away from accepted wine industry norms, [such as] glass bottles,” he says.
Those brands that are actively developing new sustainable solutions do not believe glass is being edged out as the primary packaging material for wine and spirits – far from it. Instead, their portfolios are expanding to incorporate myriad materials and formats that will contribute to a greener future for the industry.
Consumer response to these innovations will decide their success.
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