Six companies have been awarded Federal Government grants to test innovative wine packaging solutions for premium Australian wine as the sector works towards its emissions reduction targets.
The grants are part of the Business Research and Innovation Initiative (BRII) – Renewables and Low Emissions Round, which is managed by the Department of Industry, Science and Resources.
The BRII is an innovation program aimed at funding startups and SMEs to develop new technologies.
BRII plays a crucial role in enhancing the innovation capacity of startups, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and government agencies.
By providing targeted support, it helps these organisations improve their ability to bring innovative ideas to life and navigate complex challenges. Additionally, BRII boosts their capacity to access both national and international markets, creating greater opportunities for growth and expansion.
The program also increases SMEs’ confidence and understanding when engaging with government, fostering stronger relationships and better collaboration.
Furthermore, BRII promotes government agencies’ use of innovative solutions, encouraging them to embrace new approaches that can improve public policy and service delivery.
BRII operates in three distinct phases. The first phase, challenge identification, involves Australian Government agencies identifying specific public policy or service delivery challenges that require innovative solutions. In the second phase, feasibility grants, startups and SMEs submit proposals to address these challenges.
The best solutions are awarded feasibility grants of up to $100,000, providing grantees with the resources to test the technical and commercial viability of their ideas over a three-month period.
The third phase, proof of concept grants, allows successful grantees to apply for larger grants of up to $1 million. These grants are designed to help them develop prototypes of their solutions, bringing their ideas one step closer to implementation.
Each round of funding targets different public policy or service delivery challenges and Federal Government agencies support the program to foster the development of new-to-market technologies they can potentially procure. Alternative packaging for premium wine was one of three challenges put forward in the Renewables and Low Emissions Round.
The six recipients of the grants and their proposed solutions are:
Margaret River Winery: Development of a compostable, food-grade polymer made from waste grape marc will be used to create a standard-sized, rigid-walled wine bottle that replicates the quality features of traditional glass bottles. Additionally, a mini bottle will be developed as an alternative to the current PET mini bottles used for inflight service, outdoor events, and single servings of wine. This will enable testing of the wine in the prototype packaging and allow for the evaluation of quality parameters in comparison to control samples in glass bottles of the same volume, shape, and colour.
Dr AHA Data and AI Technology: This project aims to reduce carbon emissions in the wine industry using an AI system designed to manage defects in wine bottle production. Glass bottle manufacturing and transport account for 70 per cent of the sector’s carbon emissions, primarily due to the weight of the bottles. While lightweighting offers a potential solution, thinning the glass increases the risk of failure (over 10 per cent). By improving defect management during production, the project will help manufacturers produce high-quality, lightweight bottles and lower carbon emissions. Recent advancements in AI provide enhanced defect detection and management, making the project a viable opportunity for innovation.
Delivering Happiness International: The company is working to improve its 100 per cent recycled PET eco-flat bottle by researching and developing a premium bottle design. The new bottle will be heavier, thicker, and feature an advanced oxygen barrier and UV light protection. This initiative aims to address the limited shelf life of the current PET bottle, ensuring that Australian wine can age in a more sustainable packaging solution.
Wine One: The EcoSteel Wine Bottle project aims to transform the Australian wine industry with the introduction of stainless-steel bottles. The project focuses on developing standardised, shape-optimised, single-walled stainless steel wine bottles that could reduce emissions by up to 74 per cent while ensuring better preservation of wine quality. Key objectives include finalising the bottle design, optimising costs, conducting life-cycle analysis, consumer testing, and assessing the feasibility of domestic manufacturing
Bravu: Bravu Pty Ltd will develop a soft plastic pouch designed to carry and preserve the quality of Australian wines, with a structure compatible with current Australian soft plastic recycling facilities. In collaboration with manufacturing and recycling partners, the company aims to create a sustainable, scalable product. The project will involve developing packaging and testing its impact on the quality of Australian wines
Phantm: The project will assess the feasibility of using PHA, a natural polymer, for premium wine packaging. Phantm will research the material properties, design considerations, and environmental impacts to lay the foundation for future manufacturing. The goal is to develop a low-emissions, compostable PHA formulation that can effectively store premium wine.
The technical and commercial feasibility of these solutions will be tested over three months.
Recipients who successfully demonstrate their solutions may be invited to apply for further grants to develop a proof of concept and prototype.
The manufacture of wine packaging and the transport of packaged wine account for around 70 per cent of the Australian wine industry’s carbon emissions with heavy glass bottles being the main contributor.
Dr Martin Cole, Wine Australia chief executive officer, said the Australian grape and wine sector aims to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, with a 42 per cent reduction
by 2030.
“Although the current alternatives to heavy glass bottles, such as lightweight glass bottles, bag-in-box, aluminium cans and PET plastic produce lower emissions, the best innovations in sustainable packaging are yet to come,” he said.
“Wine Australia would like the Australian wine sector to be at the forefront of these developments.
“Wine Australia thanks the Australian Government for funding the feasibility phase of these six potential alternatives to heavy glass bottles. Innovative products such as these are critical to the grape and wine sector achieving its net zero goal.”