Wine with a lighter footprint
South African winemakers are starting to introduce lighter wine bottles into their collections to help off-set their carbon footprints.
Sales of individually packaged SA wines in the UK rose by 11 percent in 2009, and in 2008 this country's wine earned in excess of R6 billon in foreign exchange. But the increase in sales means that the carbon footprint has also increased, a fact that eco-conscience consumers in foreign markets concerned about climate change and food miles, will be aware of.
Now, with the introduction of a lighter bottle, it is hoped that the balance of increased export volumes versus carbon emissions will be held in check.
The new 750ml screwcap bottles weigh in at 350g - as opposed to 500g for traditional bottles - and will be available to local winemakers in time for the 2010 harvest.
At the same time, the average weight of bottles sealed with corks has been reduced in weight from 570 grams to 460 grams.
According to Consol Glass, South Africa's leading manufacturer of glass containers for the beverage industry, until 2006 the average weight of a 750ml non-returnable wine bottle was 516 grams, which by last year had dropped to 437 grams, a decrease of 15%. The new light-weight bottle will bring down the average still further.
Says Hein Koegelenberg, CEO of Leopard’s Leap wines: "We are extremely excited about the introduction of the light weight bottles into our range. The introduction of lighter bottles into our wine collection is in keeping with our objective of being an eco-conscious wine brand and doing our utmost to limit our carbon footprint."
Wines of South Africa (WOSA) reckon the introduction of the lighter weight wine bottles addresses a demand of leading retailers for more eco-friendly packaging and hopes that it will play a part in reducing the volume of bulk exports for off-shore bottling which is a major contributor to job losses in the industry.
SA Wine Industry Information Systems has calculated that for every 10-million litres of wine shipped in bulk, just over 107 jobs would be lost.
"Fortunately, the volume of bulk exports dropped 18% in 2009, compared with year before, whereas packaged exports rose 7% over the same period," said Wines of South Africa CEO, Su Birch. "This is not only good for individual brands and for jobs but for the quality standing of Brand South Africa."
Birch added that alternative wine packaging, such as the wine pouch offered by leading export brand, Arniston Bay, had also been welcomed in many export markets. South African bag-in-box wines were also very popular, particularly in Scandinavia.
Another development to keep an eye out for is the introduction of plastic wine bottles which reportedly weigh only 50g and are supposed to offer additional benefits such as allowing for reverse printing of labels, more efficient transportation, reduced CO₂ emissions and reduced energy consumption in the manufacture and supply chain.
