Enjoying wine has never been so easy

Until now, plastic bottles of this kind have rarely been found in everyday life, except for “the small PET wine bottles on airplanes to save weight,” says Daniel Lehner, Global Sales Director Food & Beverage at Alpla. It is characteristics like these that the packaging manufacturer is now making accessible to a broader market with the 0.75-liter PET wine bottle – in a classic, elegant design.

No volcano required and 45 Eiffel Towers lighter

The innovative plastic bottle already makes a huge difference: the PET version weighs just a tenth of the 500-gram glass wine bottle. If it is used, the packaging weight is reduced by 90 percent. With around one billion wine bottles produced in Germany every year, this means that, in purely mathematical terms, there would be around 450,000 tons less on the scales, i.e. around 11,250 fully loaded trucks or around 45 Eiffel Towers. The reduced weight leads to significant savings in both transport and storage costs. Additionally, the bottle is shatterproof.

Furthermore, glass requires a temperature of around 1,600 degrees Celsius during production - more heat than in a volcano, including high energy consumption and emissions. PET bottles, on the other hand, can be shaped at around 260 degrees Celsius, which reduces the amount of heat required and the release of greenhouse gases.

Only half the CO₂ and easy handling

The PET bottle scores particularly well in terms of sustainability too, says Daniel Lehner: “The bottle is fully recyclable and can be produced with up to 100 percent recycled material (rPET).” He calculates what this means: “Depending on the amount of recycled material used, the CO₂ savings can be up to 50 percent. Even without using recyclate, the PET bottle already reduces CO₂ by 38 percent compared to the glass bottle.” This significantly improves the carbon footprint.

In addition to its traditional look, the PET bottle has a metal cap, as is familiar from glass bottles. The new plastic bottle is particularly interesting for ecologically minded buyers and consumers who want to consume the wine immediately after purchase. In retail, the plastic bottle is particularly suitable for quick turnover. This is because the full wine aroma is guaranteed to remain intact for at least six months; after that, slight degradation effects may occur due to oxygen migration. ALPLA has deliberately dispensed with the use of a barrier layer due to the ecological added value of the bottle's complete recyclability.

Another advantage: the PET wine bottle makes it possible to enjoy wine in places where glass bottles are impractical or prohibited for weight or safety reasons, such as on the beach or at events.

Only half the CO₂ and easy handling

The PET bottle scores particularly well in terms of sustainability too, says Daniel Lehner: “The bottle is fully recyclable and can be produced with up to 100 percent recycled material (rPET).” He calculates what this means: “Depending on the amount of recycled material used, the CO₂ savings can be up to 50 percent. Even without using recyclate, the PET bottle already reduces CO₂ by 38 percent compared to the glass bottle.” This significantly improves the carbon footprint.

In addition to its traditional look, the PET bottle has a metal cap, as is familiar from glass bottles. The new plastic bottle is particularly interesting for ecologically minded buyers and consumers who want to consume the wine immediately after purchase. In retail, the plastic bottle is particularly suitable for quick turnover. This is because the full wine aroma is guaranteed to remain intact for at least six months; after that, slight degradation effects may occur due to oxygen migration. ALPLA has deliberately dispensed with the use of a barrier layer due to the ecological added value of the bottle's complete recyclability.

Another advantage: the PET wine bottle makes it possible to enjoy wine in places where glass bottles are impractical or prohibited for weight or safety reasons, such as on the beach or at events.