Wine is being bottled in lightweight recycled plastic containers for sale in the UK as part of a sustainability drive.
The Hertfordshire-headquartered Wine Society launched a trial of the polyethylene terephthalate bottles as it looks to slash its carbon footprint.
Created by innovative packaging produce Packamama, the containers weigh 63g compared to an average of 460g for glass equivalents.
They are made from recycled material, can be fully recycled themselves and are shaped to better stack in a box to further reduce transport costs and carbon emissions.
While the Society believes taste isn’t impaired by the plastic bottles, it is urging drinkers to consume the wine within six months.
A report published by the Society earlier this year found that glass bottles accounted for almost a third of its carbon emissions.
Director of sustainability Dom de Ville said: “To achieve our ambitious reduction targets, we need to significantly reduce our emissions attributable to packaging.
“One way to do this is put more of our wines into lower-carbon packaging formats. With today’s technology and in the absence of a proper system in the UK to collect and reuse glass bottles, the recycled plastic bottle is a really good option. It has a lower-carbon footprint than glass and can be recycled at home.”
