Published: 25 April, 2025
The glass bottle has been a fixture of the wine world since the 17th century, while the earliest examples date back to the Roman era. Impermeable and inert, it remains the universal vessel of choice, but a growing consumer awareness of its carbon footprint could yet threaten that status, meaning its days would be numbered. Estimates vary, but glass production accounts for up to half the CO2 in a typical bottle of wine. The material is energy intensive, with gas used to heat furnaces to 1,700ºC for its manufacture. Then there’s the impact of shipping as bottles, many of them needlessly heavy, are hauled across the world, with the IWCA (International Wineries for Climate Action) estimating that transport accounts for 15.9% of the average winery’s emissions. Theoretically, glass has an infinite life – the UK boasting one of the better recycling rates at 74.2%, according to British Glass – but the process is notoriously complex, requiring rigorous colour sorting, and it uses energy.
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Published: 09 April, 2025
Aldi’s latest move to segue alternative formats into the mainstream is here – this time via the launch of an aluminium bottle.
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Published: 19 November, 2024
Wales will press ahead with its own Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) as the devolved government announced its intention to back out of a UK-wide framework which is looking to exclude glass.
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Lanchester Wines has become the first UK wine importer to launch a wine in a super lightweight 300g wine bottle, in partnership with a major discounter.
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Published: 08 February, 2024
Discounter Lidl has launched its own return scheme for PET plastic and aluminium drinks containers, eight months after the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) was delayed by the Scottish government.
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The latest back and forth between the UK government and Scotland’s devolved powers has derailed plans for Scotland to include glass as part of a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), with glass now to be fully excluded both north and south of the border.
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Published: 21 April, 2022
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.
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Published: 07 September, 2021
Majestic has unveiled details of a nationwide cork recycling scheme in over 200 of its stores.
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Safety and space concerns, increased business costs and bureaucracy caused by the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) would place a disproportionate burden on many hospitality businesses, UK Hospitality (UKH) has said in response to the government’s proposal on the scheme.
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Published: 25 March, 2021
The government has launched its second consultation into a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
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Published: 09 February, 2021
Glass container manufacturer Encirc has create what it claims to be the world’s most sustainable glass bottle.
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Published: 01 February, 2021
Pernod Ricard’s flagship vodka brand, Absolut, has launched its latest limited-edition bottle made of 60% recycled glass, making it the brand’s most sustainable glass bottle to date.
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Published: 09 January, 2020
A major new scheme aimed specifically at boosting recycling rates and combating littering for bottled drinks is due to arrive in Scotland in 2021 and the rest of the UK soon after. So what do we know so far?
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Published: 11 November, 2019
Recycling company First Mile has launched a new scheme to help both consumers and businesses recycle wine corks and long-life food and drink cartons.
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UK glass manufacturers have warned the Scottish deposit recycling scheme, which includes glass, will “prompt a switch to plastic packaging” and could result in “plant closures and job losses”.
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Published: 14 December, 2018
Wine closures giant Vinventions is the latest to re-affirm its commitment to sustainability via several new initiatives aimed at reducing waste and reaching zero carbon emissions.
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