Tesco leads the way with light-weight wine bottle

Tesco is to be the first retailer to take on a new light-weight wine bottle created by Manchester-based Kingsland Wines and Spirits, the Independent wine solutions company. Kingsland is launching what it claims to be the world's lightest screw cap bottle for wine in the UK.

Kingsland embarked on a project in 2008 in partnership with Quinn Glass to significantly reduce the weight of standard wine bottles.

A standard wine bottle weighs 420g, and with two phases completed, a 300g bottle has now been produced.

The bottle is a significant step change from conventional bottles with nearly a 30% saving in glass, adding a huge environmental benefit.

The project gathered pace when both Tesco and WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) joined the project.

Tesco will fill its shelves this week with an own-label product using the lightweight packaging, bottled by Kingsland. Other retailers ,including the Co-operative, are expected to follow in the near future.

There were three key hurdles to overcome in the development of the bottle:

• The impact resistance needed to be the same as standard bottles

• The glass needed to be evenly distributed in the manufacturing process

• The aesthetics of the bottle had to match the standard bottle to satisfy consumers; the bottle had to look identical in shape and size to the standard bottle.

"The project has taken almost two years due to the need to make the lightweight bottle look and perform the same as the standard bottle," said Michael Forde, supply chain director at Kingsland.

"We believe this bottle will become the future not just for UK filled wine, but also as a guide for global production."

Kingsland estimates that if all customers switch to the new bottle the reduction in glass usage would cut CO2 emissions by over 2,500 tons a year.

Source: Agencies