Alternative packaging
Bag-in-box, can and PET for the right segment.
For wines for near-term drinking and no ageing, formats such as bag-in-box, can and PET dramatically reduce the packaging footprint versus glass, on top of the shipped weight.
They do not replace glass in every segment, but for a growing share of the market they are the biggest reduction available. The decision is about positioning and channel, not only technical.
Effort
Medium — new line/format and repositioning.
Cost
Variable — can lower packaging cost per litre.
Time to result
On introducing the new format.
Which emissions it cuts
Reduction potential by source — click through for detail and metrics.
How it works
Lighter, less-intensive materials than glass reduce manufacturing and transport emissions per litre of wine.
How to implement
- 1Identify the SKUs suited to alternative formats.
- 2Assess bag-in-box, can or PET by channel and market.
- 3Communicate the environmental benefit to the consumer.
- 4Log the material and recompute the footprint.
What to measure
Frequently asked
Do they work for age-worthy wines?
Mostly no — they suit wines for near-term drinking. (Light) glass remains for age-worthy and premium wines.
Are cans and PET recyclable?
Aluminium is highly recyclable; PET is recyclable too. Bag-in-box has mixed components, but its footprint per litre is usually among the lowest.
Related reading
Related levers
How GrapeFlow helps
Measure and document this lever by plot and per bottle, with the footprint always up to date.
Packaging materials & bottle weight
Weight and composition of each bottle and material by SKU — to quantify and cut the largest footprint source.
Carbon footprint per bottle & season
GrapeFlow gathers energy, fuel, packaging and inputs and computes the footprint per bottle and per season — the basis of any report or low-carbon label.
Energy & fuels (invoices by OCR)
Electricity, diesel and other fuels captured from invoices, with consumption per kWh, per litre and per bottle.