GREEN: Weight Watchers

As the drinks industry faces up to its environmental obligations, the issue of packaging looms large. Not only does it need to be recyclable but, for transportation purposes, its weight affects hugely the energy used. Ben Grant reports

when compared to our European neighbours the UK’s recycling record is, to put it bluntly, rubbish. The issue has shot up news, political, social and industrial agendas in the last 18 months, prompting significant progress. But there is still much to be done – according to the Institute for Public Policy Research, in August 2006 the UK languished at 13th in the European league table, recycling just 18% of waste and sending almost three-quarters to landfill. As Tetra Pak environment manager Richard Hands rather succinctly puts it, “the UK is miles behind the rest of Europe. We’re playing catch up”, and there’s plenty of work to be done.
Recycling is, of course, not the only factor that must be addressed as the trade faces up to the challenges of reducing the environmental impact of its packaging. The issue of weight also looms large, particularly when it comes to transporting heavy materials from one side of the planet to the other. One thing remains clear, however: packaging wastage is becoming an evermore important issue that is increasingly difficult to ignore. “There is much more awareness among consumers. They are asking questions about packaging,” says Nicola Jenkin, project manager, beverages, for the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP). But what are the implications for drinks suppliers and what packaging options represent the greenest option?
Unfortunately – and, indeed, unsurprisingly – there is no easy, one-size-fits-all solution. The various options available all have pros and cons and it’s possible to make a very compelling argument for aluminium, cardboard and PET as well as glass, though this last option finds itself under increasing pressure. Glass is, of course, much heavier than the alternatives – at up to 800g, the packaging can sometimes weigh more than the wine inside.

With such a substantial percentage of UK-consumed wine travelling thousands of miles from source, a great deal of energy is expended on transportation that some argue is unnecessary. In an effort to combat this wastage one of WRAP’s principle focus areas is bulk shipping. Jenkin reports that this saves 35-45% of the energy required to produce New World wine and transport it to consumers. As an additional benefit, it also creates demand for producing green bottles domestically, enabling the UK to recycle a far higher percentage of its waste green glass.
The other major thrust, GlassRite – the working title for WRAP’s bid to reduce energy wastage caused by the use of glass – is focused on reducing the weight of material used. The organisation is working in close conjunction with a number of industry players in a bid to develop lightweight bottles that are sufficiently strong. The partnership between Tesco, Quinn Glass and Kingsland Wine & Spirits to roll out lighter bottles for the retailer’s own-brand range has been a notable success story; it will eventually cut 2,500 tonnes of glass out of the chain.
Since commencing in summer 2006, GlassRite has overseen a number of research projects. When the last of these reaches its conclusion in March, WRAP will assess the results and make recommendations accordingly. For the time being the organisation is remaining tight-lipped about its future direction, but it’s possible that in the coming months there could be a pretty significant shake up of the way that glass is deployed by the UK drinks trade.

The commitment
Since it was formally launched in March 2005, the Courtauld Commitment has focused the minds of the retail community. The 27 signatories collectively control over 90% of the UK grocery market, as well as owning many of the leading food and drink brands. Together with WRAP, it is aiming to “deliver absolute reductions in packaging waste by 2010”. Currently 6.3 million tonnes of packaging reaches UK homes each year, and Courtauld aims to cut this by at least 340,000 tonnes within the next two years.
“Some seem to have interpreted their Courtaulds Commitment obligation as a simple weight reduction exercise, in which the obvious case is glass,” wrote British Glass director general David Workman, in an open letter to the drinks business, published in the Your Shout column in November (the full article can be accessed online at www.thedrinksbusiness.com). He went on to highlight the many benefits of the material – including its integrity and recyclability, as well as consumer preference – concluding: “We believe that glass, although heavy compared to other materials, is actually the most sustainable form of packaging available.”

A perception issue
This seems a rather lofty claim (though the fruits of GlassRite will hopefully make glass a more sustainable option). The principal factor that works in glass’s favour is consumer perception – as Workman points out, “Numerous surveys from across Europe show it to be the consumer’s preferred choice of packaging.”
Tetra Pak, by comparison, struggles to convey the premium image that brand owners demand. “There’s a perception issue in the UK,” says Hands. “But we have overcome that in other markets,” and the company is confident that this can be the case in the UK too.
Aluminium is also aiming to promote its environmental credentials to woo more drinks manufacturers across to the material. “When it comes to the environmental issue, the can industry is saying ‘bring it on’“, says Rexam Beverage Can, Europe & Asia marketing director John Rubess. The can industry is currently growing at a rate of 7-8% each year in Europe, with over 50 billion cans filled last year. And Rexam is confident that this will increase significantly when the material is deployed for a wider range of drinks categories.

Whether either of these alternatives – or indeed PET – could steal a greater share of the UK wine trade from glass remains to be seen. There is still a distinct lack of clarity to the packaging debate, but hopefully WRAP’s report in March will help suppliers to make a more informed decision. In the meantime, the issue dominates the agenda of the drinking public, and this interest only looks set to grow. Unnecessarily wasteful packaging is becoming an increasingly emotive issue. So, while lightweight glass still has a bright future, it seems conceivable that the ludicrously heavy bottles that are favoured by many wines at the upper end of the price spectrum could soon become a thing of the past. 

© db January 2008