Hasta La Ideas

The UK’s Wine Society, a member-owned community of oenophiles, has contracted some unusual packaging for some of their wines: Flat-shaped plastic bottles, made from recycled ocean plastic, and recyclable themselves. After conducting a study, the group has concluded that using this recycled PET, and in this shape, is more sustainable than using glass.

“Our packaging report showed that rPET bottles have a significantly lower carbon footprint than single-use glass bottles; they’re less energy-intensive to make, smaller and less breakable than glass so can be packed more tightly, and of course significantly lighter (63g compared to an average of 453g for glass bottles).”

Furthermore, they say the plastic is inert and doesn’t affect the flavor, though they do recommend it only for wines with a one-year-or-less shelf life.