Supermarkets and wine makers in lightweighting drive

Supermarkets Morrisons and Tesco, and wine brand owners Constellation Europe and PLB Wines, expect to save around 6,000 tonnes of glass per year by lightweighting bottles, according to the Waste and Resources Action Programme (Wrap).

Tesco said new bottles for its own-label wines, developed in conjunction with Quinn Glass and Kingsland Wines and Spirits, will save more than 2,500 tonnes of glass per year.

The bottles will hit shelves later this year and make a "significant contribution" to the multiple's target to reduce packaging 25% by 2010.

Morrisons is working with Corby Bottlers to save more than 200 tonnes a year from its Working Dog and William Grove wines.

Wrap glass technology manager Andy Dawe said it was "great to see the wine industry making such significant progress on optimising packaging".

Meanwhile, Australian vintner Wolf Blass has launched a new range of wines contained in PET bottles. The bottles for the Green Label range are 33% shorter and 90% lighter than an equivalent 75cl glass bottle.

Its move comes a month after Sainsbury's said it would introduce lightweight 75cl PET bottles for some of its wines.
Source: packagingnews