The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has announced that its four-year GlassRite project for wine bottles has saved almost 35,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year through a combination of packaging developments and bulk importing.
The GlassRite project was launched in 2006 to examine potential environmental and commercial savings in the wine sector and WRAP is hoping to build on the project, both in the UK and internationally through bulk importing of wine for bottling in the UK.
“We know that huge opportunities exist to use more lighter weight bottles and increase the use of recycled content in UK-manufactured glass bottles,” said Nicola Jenkin, WRAP’s Drinks Market Key Account Manager. “This is what will achieve a more resource-efficient international wine supply chain,” she added.
Ms Jenkin also highlighted the work done towards producing a 300g screw-cap bottle, as well as the research efforts to introduce lightweighting to sparkling wines.
“Internationally, almost 175,000 tonnes of glass savings could be made through using lighter weight bottles that are still fit for purpose,” she said.
GlassRite project achieves 35,000 tonne carbon emission savings
Published 1st June, 2010 by Greg Morris
Greg Morris
Glass International Editor
Greg Morris has been editor of Glass International and organiser of the Glassman conferences since 2012, specialising in glass packaging. Prior to this he spent five years working in newspaper journalism.