Dive Brief:

• Seven wine companies recently launched the Alternative Packaging Alliance with a goal to shape the narrative about packaging and sustainability in the wine industry. The group plans to roll out initiatives focused on awareness and adoption in its first year.
• Examples of the founding companies include Nomadica, a women-owned company packaging fine wines in cans, boxes, and kegs; Juliet, which packages wine in magnum-sized 1.5 liter containers; and Tablas Creek, a Regenerative Organic-certified winery that offers glass and box formats.
• Ami Ami, Communal Brands, Giovese Family Wines and Really Good Boxed Wine are also members of the group, which is focused on providing higher-end wines in recyclable formats that have a lower carbon footprint than glass bottles.

Dive Insight:

Alternative wine packaging is starting to gain more attention, including among younger consumers. The members of this newly-formed alliance aim to collectively educate consumers and advocate for high-value wine using these alternative packaging options.

“We were talking to each other and realized we’re facing the exact same challenges,” said Jake Whitman, founder and CEO of Really Good Boxed Wine, an APA founding member. “We’re facing perception challenges among not just consumers, but also retailers.”

"We believe packaging should be evaluated for its functionality and environmental credentials rather than as a quality metric," Melissa Monti Saunders, CEO of Communal Brands and a founding member of the APA, said in a statement. "Why irrationally assume products packaged in alternatives to single-use glass must be lower caliber?”

The APA is part of a broader movement in the wine industry to reduce packaging impact.

Last year, Champagne Telmont announced the creation of what it called the lightest champagne bottle in the world. More recently, in the UK, Aldi launched 100% recycled PET wine bottles for easier transportation. And earlier this month, O-I Packaging Solutions announced a partnership with Revino, a reuse operator based in Oregon, to facilitate refills and returns in the wine industry.

Glass is highly recyclable, but that can be limited by regional infrastructure. The latest U.S. EPA data estimated that just 31% of glass containers were recycled in 2018. The APA will launch publicly available materials to educate consumers of the environmental impacts of glass, compared with alternatives.

“Many municipalities don’t have the infrastructure or can’t bear the cost,” said Whitman. 

He also highlighted the fact that shipping empty bottles — that may also require single-use protective packaging — is heavy and cumbersome, racking up a carbon footprint before being filled with product.  

APA members plan to highlight what they view as the environmental and practical benefits of alternative packaging options. In some cases, they will even assist consumers with recycling. On request, Juliet provides customers with a free return shipping label to mail back their product’s plastic pouch if it is not accepted by local recycling programs. 

The APA will also focus on joint retail merchandising efforts and tasting events. The group aims to showcase the quality of wine in alternative packages and challenge the stigma that alternative packaging means a lower quality wine. 

“In some ways, retailers are the gatekeepers,” said Whitman. 

Retailers and wholesalers will be an important part of getting the message out, he said, pointing out that managing a month-long endcap at a major retailer could be easier when multiple brands work together. 

“That just validates this product in the minds of consumers,” he said