'Leaner and Greener' Wine Bottles
2009-07-31 09:32:11
- Wine bottles 18 - 28% lighter
- More environmentally friendly
- Maintains wine brand integrity
- Innovation to assist Australian wine industry focused on export
- Colour range extension
- Freight savings
Australia's wine industry has received a significant boost with the launch of substantially lighter weight and more environmentally friendly Australian-produced wine bottles.
The world's leading glass container maker, O-I, has invested AUD $3.5 million in equipment and trials at its Adelaide plant to reduce the weight of selected wine bottles by up to 28%, with further investment planned before year's end. The move enables globally competitive lightweight wine bottle offerings with scope for further weight reductions in future.
Installation of narrow neck press and blow (NNPB) technology at the Adelaide plant has allowed O-I to take out considerable weight, energy and water consumption from each bottle but maintain the proportions and premium image brand owners require.
This technology allows O-I to be more consistent and precise in its glass wall thickness, therefore reducing w
eight whilst delivering an even more sustainable product.
Using modified designs and the NNPB technology at the O-I Adelaide plant, selected 750ml claret and burgundy BVS bottles are now available between 18 and 28% lighter than current offerings.
| Bottle | Weight (Current) | Weight (New) | Difference |
| 750ml Claret (BVS Screw Cap) | 400g | 330g | 70g (-18%) |
| 750ml Burgundy (BVS Screw Cap) | 416g | 330g | 86g (-21%) |
| 750ml Punted Burgundy (BVS Screw Cap) | 495g | 360g | 135g (-27%) |
| 750ml Punted Claret (BVS Screw Cap) | 500g | 360g | 140g (-28%) |
Such a weight reduction represents one of the largest breakthroughs in wine bottle making in Australia
and retains O-I's Adelaide plant at the forefront of wine bottle making facilities globally. It also responds to demands from local and export markets for more sustainable manufacturing and continued innovation.
Packaging supplier Plasdene Glass-Pak, a national distributor of O-I glassware for more than 20 years, has now included these bottles as part of their core range. "We're excited to partner O-I to promote these innovative bottles, throughout our national branch network. Given many of our wine clients export much of their wine to the UK, US and other parts of the world, the Lean + GreenTM range offers our customers a sustainable, competitive edge; more environmentally friendly and cost effective packaging with the additional benefit of freight savings through maximized loading and reduced glass weight," says Plasdene Glass-Pak Marketing Manager Jayne Pearson.
Originally available only in French Green, the range will grow in response to strong market feedback to include four new colours - Antique Green, Classic Green, Flint and Arctic Blue. Bottles in the new colours will be brought into production through the balance of 2009.
The expansion follows an overwhelmingly positive reaction to the bottles both domestically and overseas after launches in May in Adelaide, Australia, and the London International Wine Fair in the United Kingdom.
"The extension of colours by O-I will be valuable to customers looking to accelerate their range and variety migration to the new bottles. It will enable them to standardise their filling requirements, secondary packaging and distribution needs," O-I Asia Pacific President Greg Ridder said.
"Given the positive market reaction, O-I has decided to bring forward these new colours to meet customer uptake and expectations. These bottles are products for their time when you consider the issues of sustainability, emissions, energy and moderation of packaging and resources."
The substantially lighter-weight and more environmentally friendly bottles will save almost 20,000 tonnes of glass packaging a year.
In addition to less glass, the Lean + GreenTM bottles are more water, energy and freight efficient. Based on French Green production alone, they deliver strong environmental benefits such as:
- 840 more bottles packed into a 20ft shipping container; offering a loading increase of 6.25%. (This is particularly advantageous to the Tasmanian wine industry reliant on the manufacture and supply of glass bottles from the mainland);
- A 20% reduction in energy use to produce the same number of bottles;
- A carbon dioxide saving of more than 11,130 tonnes of CO2 per annum - or the equivalent of 4120 less 4-cylinder cars on Australian roads each year*;
- An average 12% drop in water usage per container;
- Overall water savings of 4720kL or the equivalent of 6.3 Olympic swimming pools a year.
The new Lean + GreenTM bottles are available through packaging distributor Plasdene Glass-Pak, nationally. Contact your nearest distribution centre in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Hobart, Adelaide, Perth or Newcastle NSW for bottle samples, ware specifications, product availability or further information regarding the range or click on the links below for bottle details.
Click here for Lightweight Punted Claret BVS product information
Click here for Lightweight Claret BVS product information
Click here for Lightweight Punted Burgundy BVS product information
Click here for Lightweight Burgundy BVS product information