Harpers Design Awards 2024: The full rundown

Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but great design is a finely tuned skill. Andrew Catchpole highlights the best of the crop at this year’s Design Awards.

Ray O'Connor MW joins EcoSip

Leading wine packaging firm EcoSip has appointed Ray O’Connor as non-executive director, bringing over a decade of retail experience to the sustainability-led company.

Fines loom for businesses yet to submit packaging data WSTA warns

The WSTA has issued a warning to hundreds of businesses ahead of May’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) deadline.

Friday Read: Encirc on uncorking the path to Net Zero

Fiacre O’Donnell, sustainability director at glass container manufacturer Encirc, looks at the future of sustainability for wine and spirits supply, including low-carbon/alternative energy fuels and the possibilities of a digital deposit return scheme (DDRS).

Friday read: Can sustainability and luxury co-exist?

Friday read: Why bulk is the hot ticket in the face of climate change

In a rapidly warming world the wine industry needs to modernise and that means embracing bulk, argues Richard Lloyd, general manager at The Park, Europe’s largest wine packaging facility.

Paper bottle makes its way to Laithwaites

Online wine merchant Laithwaites has launched its first wine packaged in a paper bottle – continuing a packaging trend which is rapidly gathering speed.

Treasury bags new format extension as conversation around alt packaging grows

Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) has added a new bag-in-box (BiB) release to its high performing 19 Crimes portfolio, with the launch of its Revolutionary Rosé now available.

Co-founder of sommelier-backed canned wine brand claims “bottles are the past”

A new range of canned wines launched this week (23 May), under the brand name Djuce.

Spiralling production costs: the battle for bottles – and more

One of the biggest challenges facing wine producers worldwide is the shortage of glass bottles – but that’s not the only problem that will dog 2022, as James Bayley reports.

Friday read: Packaging up an eco ecommerce strategy

Santiago Navarro, CEO & founder of Packamama – the climate tech packaging provider spun from Garçon Wines – made his name in the creation and supply of eco-flat bottles which re-launched Accolade’s eco brand, Banrock Station, in the Co-op in 2020. Here, he dives into how wine brands and manufacturers can leverage packaging to capitalise on ecommerce, whilst responding to long-term changing consumer preferences, including sustainability.

Rethinking glass

With glass recycling now definitively out of the deposit return scheme for England and Northern Ireland, the question of what to do with glass is back on the agenda. Could the future be reusable? Jo Gilbert reports.

Trade finds no easy solution in glass sustainability debate

For the near future, at least, the glass wine bottle is here to stay, albeit with a re-evaluation of how it is used, with consumer perception being a major hurdle to change.

Bourgogne Wine Board announces landmark collaboration to achieve carbon neutral status

The Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) has enlisted the help of Paris-based waste management firm Adelphe, working together to develop an overarching strategic vision to achieve carbon neutral status by 2050.

Connected packaging could become 'main' marketing bridge to customers

More and more brands are using QR codes and smartphone apps to transform simple packaging into digital experiences.

Packaging’s conflicting objectives

After 18 months of escalating online demand and consumers being immersed in “online shopping training”, the packaging industry is being tasked with satisfying supercharged convenience, sustainability and luxury trends, which , finds Jo Gilbert, is quite the challenge.

Connected packaging revs up

At any one time, there are an average of seven trillion pieces of packaging in the world. The opportunities offered by technology to engage with consumers via the bottle are only just getting started, says Jo Gilbert.

Harpers Design Awards 2021 – The Winners

People buy with their eyes and clever design can also deliver strong cues as to what will be in the bottle, conveying clear messages that help bridge the gap between consumer and producer, as Andrew Catchpole reports from this year’s Harpers Design Awards.

Chilean multinational furthers sustainability drive

One of South America's largest wine producers has introduced a new set of sustainability requirements, including stringent rules pertaining to bottling and packaging.

Long read: Will this be the decade the wine industry ditches glass?

Émilie Steckenborn, sommelier, education consultant and creator of the Bottled in China podcast, delves into the wine industry’s reliance on often coloured, non-recyclable glass while giving the lowdown on this year’s biggest sustainable launches.