Packamama awarded $1 million AUD to decarbonise wine packaging

By Oliver Catchpole

Published: 01 December, 2025

Packamama, a climate technology company that makes low-carbon wine packaging, has been awarded a $1 million AUD (~£500,000) grant under the Business Research and Innovation Initiative (BRII).

The grant was awarded as part of the BRII Alternative Packaging for Australian Wine challenge’s Proof-of-Concept Round to develop circular polymer wine bottles that cut carbon emissions while protecting wine quality, an effort that is intended to increase the competitiveness of Australian wine.

This follows a previous $100,000 grant that was awarded under BRII to allow Packamama to study the technical viability and emissions savings of its concept.

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Simulations and lab studies during this ‘feasibility’ stage indicated that Packamama’s bottles, which are made from recycled PET with ‘performance enhancing’ additives, could preserve wine for around four years, while – compared to traditional glass – cutting emissions by more than half, alongside being lighter, shatterproof and fully recyclable.

This led to Packamama being one of two Proof-of-Concept recipients selected from the six feasibility-stage candidates, which the company called a “clear vote of confidence in its mission to decarbonise wine”.

According to the 2022 life cycle assessment by the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI), 74% of emissions from the wine industry come from making, moving and recycling glass bottles.

In 2025, AWRI’s Affinity Labs found that Packamama bottles are able to cut emissions by up to 56%, and that wine exported in its bottles produces 32% less CO2 than bulk export.

This presents an opportunity to support Wine Australia’s Emissions Reduction Roadmap, which aims for a 42% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 (and net zero by 2050), in addition to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s recent pledge to reduce emissions by up to 70% by 2035.

Santiago Navarro, CEO and founder of Packamama, explained: “Being selected by the Australian Government and Wine Australia to help lead the industry’s packaging transition is deeply motivating.

“It is proof that innovation in materials, design, and technology can protect wine and the planet in equal measure. Together, we can make the wine bottle part of the climate solution, not the problem.”

Over the next 18 months, Packamama will perform material trials, recyclability testing and consumer research, while exploring retail collaborations in both Australia and the UK.

Prior listings in Tesco and Aldi in the UK (and Coles in Australia) have demonstrated strong consumer engagement, with repeat purchases.

Along with its eco-flat bottles, Packamama is currently developing a portfolio of climate-friendly packaging innovations for the wine industry, partnering with producers across the UK, Australia, Belgium, South Africa (and soon the US) to create practical solutions for a low-carbon future.

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