Dive Brief:
- A new wine bottle packaging just launched that is made from 94% recycled paperboard with a liner built to hold the beverage, Independent reported. The innovation, called the Frugal Bottle, is about five times lighter than a typical glass wine bottle.
- A Life Cycle Analysis, conducted by Intertek, found the Frugal Bottle has a carbon footprint up to 84% lower than a glass bottle and a water footprint roughly four times smaller than glass. The bottle's carbon footprint is also more than a third less than a recycled plastic bottle.
- The bottle was created by British sustainable packaging company Frugalpac. The first wine to hit shelves in the new paper packaging is from the Italian vineyard Cantina Goccia and will be sold online and at retail in Scotland, according to the company.
Dive Insight:
Designing high-quality sustainable packaging that keeps products fresh, holds liquids and endures temperature changes has been challenging for manufacturers, which is why many have continued to use traditional plastic.
If the launch of the bottle of wine from Cantina Goccia is popular among consumers, it could end up being used by other alcohol companies, many of whom have tried to create more efficient packaging as consumer demand for eco-friendly products increases. Frugalpac says its innovation can also store spirits such as gin, vodka and rum.
Danish brewing giant Carlsberg announced last year it was in the prototype phase of producing a sustainable, bio-based and fully recyclable beer bottle called the "Green Fibre Bottle." And recyclable paper cartons from companies like Tetra Pak in the water space are already more popular among consumers.
In May, Frugalpac received a $2.5 million investment and announced plans to release two products, the paper-based wine bottle launching now and a paper package for foods like noodles and yogurts. A month earlier, the company also announced that it made the first to-go coffee cup produced from 96% recycled paper.
With additional funding, the company looks to continue innovating in this space and could be a partner for big CPG companies in the future as deadlines for pledges to make all their packaging recyclable get closer. Greenpeace reported recently that CPG companies have not shown substantial progress on their sustainability goals.
That can be an issue as consumers are increasingly buying based on a company's sustainability efforts and are willing to pay more for it, even during the pandemic. As legacy alcohol companies have fallen out of fashion among some younger consumers, sustainable packaging could help bring them back.