Sustainability has become a core focus across every industry sector lately, but, as lovers of the traditional, the wine and spirit industries are behind the curve on implementing sustainable glass packaging.

According to the IWSR, 48% of American alcohol drinkers say that a company’s sustainability or environmental initiatives positively influences their purchasing decisions. Furthermore, according to a report by the global decision intelligence company, Morning Consult, 7 in 10 American adults would consider purchasing from a food and beverage brand that prioritizes sustainability, the highest share across all industries.

In the face of ongoing environmental concerns, a growing number of media stories have cited the need for our industry to find a more sustainable package solution. And the call is validated by consumer demands. We are seeing the emergence of a new category of wine consumer: the environmentally-conscious consumer, who is choosing wines and spirits based on the sustainability of the packaging, among other environmental cues. 

Consumer demands and the societal importance of saving the environment go hand-in-hand but the benefits in the market definitively outweigh any potential cost-increase in glass. 

Despite the relative importance of sustainability, at least 1 in 4 say they don’t know what makes food and beverage products sustainable, while at least 1 in 5 believe efficient, low-waste packaging makes a product sustainable. 

What makes glass packaging sustainable?

There are many different elements that comprise a sustainable wine or spirit: sustainable agriculture, reducing the carbon footprint, and conserving energy usage throughout your supply chain. But there is another obvious element that goes into creating a truly sustainable product: using a more environmentally-friendly glass packaging. 

According to a California Wine Institute study in 2020, the glass packaging of a wine contributes to over 50% of the entire carbon footprint of a wine product. Of that, nearly a third of the carbon footprint of a bottle of wine is linked to the packaging and shipment of the bottle, and the remaining two thirds is linked to the manufacturing process to craft traditional glass bottles (no recycled glass).

Glass uses high levels of greenhouse gasses in its production, however, it is endlessly recyclable and never compromises in quality no matter how many times it gets recycled. 

On the manufacturing front, it takes 1.18 tons of raw material to produce one ton of glass. Cullet, which is recycled glass, can be added in varying amounts to decrease these raw materials. Recycled cullet is critical to reduce raw material use, pollutants, and even transportation costs. Our Wild Glass™ bottles are comprised of almost 100% cullet recycled glass, thus making them the most sustainable bottles on the market.

Glass weight is a top consideration when it comes to shipping, storing, and displaying wine bottles. Our Elegant Light™ bottles are made with less glass and, thus, are lighter weight, resulting in reductions in carbon emissions and considerable savings in transportation costs. In fact, they are up to 20% less expensive to ship than standard bottles.

In addition, we’ve found that it’s 10 times more efficient to transport products via water than by overland trucking and 17 times more efficient than by airfreight.

Global Package’s Sustainable Collections

Global Package LLC, has a long history of working with glass manufacturing partners around the world who are leading efforts in sustainability. Striving to be among those who led efforts in easing the environmental concerns of our industry, we have developed our own innovations in glass manufacturing.

Global Package is well known for both our distinctive 100% recycled Wild Glass™ bottles sourced from our Spanish supply partner, Estal, and our lighter-weight Elegant Light™ line of bottles, produced exclusively by Global Package.  We also stock bottles locally which reduces the transportation costs and reduces the carbon footprint of the shipping process.

Using recycled materials, lightweight bottles, and having shorter import distances, can all work towards reducing a wine and spirits packaging environmental impact. Our three bottle ranges listed below can achieve all three.

Specialty Wild Glass

The company’s beautiful and sustainable Wild Glass™ line of bottles has become widely popular in the US and international market. 100% of the Wild Glass material is Post Consumer Recycled (PCR) glass or cullet glass and its production method reduces energy use and CO2 emissions.

These bottles are 100% recycled glass bottles that are one-of-a-kind, since slight imperfections in the natural formation of the glass are allowed to remain, while retaining all the manufacturing positives of automated glass, much like organic handmade art.

This results in fewer discards (from 25% to 10%), since the cosmetic (aesthetic) defects are accepted as part of the organic beauty of the glass, so less glass is wasted. All Wild Glass bottles retain the manufacturing standard and structurally soundness of traditional bottles yet, no bottles are discarded for having aesthetic defects. This means that bottles that would usually be classified as rejects, are used and celebrated. This efficiency creates a more sustainable supply chain.

Estal, Global Package’s Spanish supply partner, is a leader in innovative bottle design and sustainable wine glass production. We helped introduce Estal’s Wild Glass line of 100% sustainable “real cycled” glass bottles to the North American market a few years ago. 

Explore our collection of Wild Glass by Estal today. 

Elegant Light Line 

Addressing environmental concerns, Global Package has in stock the full line of Elegant Light™ bottles, lighter weight bottles that result in more economical and ecological shipping, and which come in the full range of classical shapes and colors. 

Our Elegant Light Line™ collection includes bottles for both wine and spirits, and were created to be both functional and beautiful. The innovative bottle design is lighter than a standard glass bottle, without compromising the integrity and intrinsic elegance of traditional glass bottles. The range is influenced by European design, while harnessing intelligent and innovative design of manufacturing lightweight bottles. 

Pictured below is our BG SM Essentia. Explore our Elegant Light Line™ collection for wine here, and for spirits here. 

Local Stock Bottles 

At Global Package, we have local stock bottles held across our extensive network of warehouses in California, Oregon, and North Carolina. This gives you easy access to our attractive range of wine and spirit bottles, with ample quantities available to suit your particular needs. 

We hold a large variety of domestic bottles, which limits the freight distance, thus limits the carbon footprint attached to the bottles. 

Our Cassiope design for spirits is pictured below. Read more about our local stock collection for wines and spirits.