Vinpac International, Endeavour Group’s wine bottling and packaging arm, has partnered with Australian glass packaging company Orora on a sustainable, lightweight 750ml sparkling bottle.
Developed in Gawler, South Australia, this new bottle is the first of its kind and will reduce hundreds of tonnes in packaging every year.
“To have an Australian-made innovative sustainable packaging option for our customers is important to us. By collaborating with Orora to produce a lighter weight sparkling bottle solution that will provide a combination of commercial and environmental benefits for our customers is really exciting,” said Vinpac International commercial manager James Vallance.
Lightweight options for red, white and rose wine bottles have been available for a while, sparkling wine has been traditionally bottled in heavier, more premium packaging. The new bottle was manufactured at Orora’s facility and tested at Vinpac’s facilities in Angaston in March. It weighs 580g, 100g less than a standard sparkling wine bottle and about 15 per cent of a total reduction in weight.
It retains the same look and feel as a standard 750ml sparkling bottle, meaning the packaging and labelling will remain the same as well.
Pinnacle Drinks, the supplier arm of Endeavour Group, has welcomed the sustainable bottle. They are now releasing several brands in the new lightweight bottle, including the popular Minchinbury sparkling range – the 2021 vintage will be available in the new bottle in BWS and Dan Murphy’s stores later this month.
“To have the Minchinbury sparkling range first to market is really exciting as it is a trusted brand. Australians have marked special occasions and celebrations with a bottle of Minchinbury for over a century and to see the brand now move into a more sustainable packaging option is an exciting new chapter,” said Pinnacle Drinks assistant brand manager Nicola Demetriou.
Pinnacle Drinks estimates switching to this bottle will remove 320 tonnes of packaging from its supply chain which equates to around 62 cars off the road each year.