Amcor Capsules and Moët & Chandon launch innovative plastic-free eco-foil

Leading capsule producer Amcor Capsules is launching a plastic-free foil hood made of aluminium and paper with its long-standing Champagne partners, Moët & Chandon.

The new Essentielle solution aims, which will be launched in October 2024, aims to help move brands towards more sustainable packaging.

The innovative new foil has been created using paper made in Europe, which reduces its carbon footprint impact by 31%, compared to the industry standard polylaminate foils. It contains around 60% aluminum, a recyclable material which remains unchanged and which fits the bottle perfectly and can be customized according to market requirements.

According to Amcor, the recyclability of aluminium is attested by French organization Citeo, when combined with glass recycling in France, using its recyclability-assessment tool, Tree. Citeo was created to enable companies in the consumer goods and distribution sector to reduce the environmental impact of their packaging and paper by offering them reduction, reuse, sorting and recycling solutions.

Yannick Magnon, Amcor Capsules’ managing director said that “Amcor Capsules was drawing on Essentielle to revolutionize the industry by offering a recyclable, plastic-free solution that suits the fast pace of their packaging lines.”

He added that the launch confirmed the major role played by the company among wine-growing players in Champagne, drawing attention to the expertise of its  Mareuil-sur-Aÿ site,  which specializes in the manufacture of foils in the heart of the Champagne region.

Amcor has been working with LVMH-owned Champagne house Moët & Chandon, the world’s biggest producer of Champagne, on the project. Sibylle Scherer, president and CEO Maison Moët said the brand was proud to support and accelerate innovation within the Champagne sector.

“For over 10 years, we have been spearheading initiatives to reduce our environmental impact and cut carbon emissions. As such, our products are developed and analyzed to improve their environmental performance. Our goal for 2024 is to take this even further, and working with Amcor Capsules on the Essentielle foil reflects this commitment,” she said. “At Moët et Chandon, we believe we can do great things if we work together. Our collaboration on the Essentielle project with Amcor Capsules – a leader in its sector and our partner for the 15 years – is evidence of this belief.”

Maison Moët manages the largest vineyard in Champagne, with nearly 1,300 hectares of vines, and its bottling lines can handle more than 12,000 bottles per hour. With productivity a top priority for Moët & Chandon, one of the key elements of the Essentielle innovation is that Amcor Capsules guarantees that its customers bottling and packaging process, as well as its productivity is unchanged.

Initially, the solution will only be available with texturing (standard or customizable) to allow sparkling wine players to retain a premium look for their bottles and the productivity of their packaging lines, however an Essentielle foil with a smooth finish will be available during the first quarter of 2025.

The development of the new foils forms part of Amcor Capsules’ Transparence program, an initiative developed in July 2023 to reduce its environmental impact, which has already enabled the company to integrate more than 90% recycled tin in capsules and sparkling foil, as well as incorporating up to 46% recycled aluminum in screw caps for the still wine and spirits’ segment.