Family-owned spirits company, Bacardi has successfully completed the world’s first commercial production of a glass spirits bottle fueled by hydrogen in a trial that took place in December 2023.

Bacardi worked with premium glassmaker, Hrastnik1860, to pioneer new technology that powered a glass furnace with hydrogen as its primary energy source and in doing so cut the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions typically produced as a byproduct of glass bottle production.

The bottle, which for the purposes of the trial was the iconic ST-GERMAIN^® elderflower liqueur bottle, is identical in appearance to the bottle produced using traditional methods and will reach bars and stores in the coming weeks.

Over the course of the trial, which produced 150,000 of the brand’s 70 cl glass bottles, hydrogen contributed more than 60 % of the fuel for the glass furnace, cutting GHG emissions by more than 30 %.

To achieve its ambition of becoming the most environmentally responsible global spirits company, Bacardi is continuously investing in new innovations and exploring opportunities to use pioneering new technology to help achieve its ultimate goal of Net Zero.

About Hrastnik1860
Hrastnik1860, a member of the Vaider Group, has more than 160 years of expertise in glass and is a global partner in the development and manufacturing of world-class engineered glass products. The company is known for creating technically demanding bottles, primarily for the spirits industry, and is a full-service solution partner—from R&D and consulting to innovative design, prototyping, manufacturing, decoration, and delivery. Hrastnik1860’s products are acclaimed for their perfect crystal shine and are entirely free of heavy metals. They range from traditional designs to innovative solutions that have won many prestigious awards.

SIG announces the launch of the uniquely different on-the-go carton bottle SIG DomeMini. The small-size carton pack offers all the convenience of a plastic bottle and the sustainability benefits of a carton pack.

Designed to captivate attention, SIG DomeMini encourages consumers to rethink their packaging choices, especially when it comes to sustainability. Beverage manufacturers also have the opportunity to choose a solution that puts significantly less plastic on the market and caters to the growing “paperisation” trend.

Designed for recycling, SIG DomeMini is mainly made from FSC™-certified paperboard and produced using 100 % renewable electricity. With the high share of forest-based renewable material as well as a sophisticated resource-efficient and space-saving design, SIG DomeMini comes with a number of environmental benefits compared to alternative packaging options like plastic bottles.

SIG DomeMini offers excellent ergonomic benefits to various consumers, such as travellers and commuters. The centrally positioned SIG DomeMiniCap is perfect for drinking just like from a bottle. It is easy to open and reclose. This ensures safe storage in bags, ready to drink from whenever needed.

The SIG DomeMini 12 Aseptic filling machine is capable of aseptically filling 12,000 packages per hour – in a total of seven volume sizes from 180 to 350 ml on one and the same machine with volume change in just 15 minutes. This maximises efficiency and flexibility, providing an excellent return on investment for beverage manufacturers.

The first market launch of SIG DomeMini is in China, with expansion to other countries on the way.

Sidel has created 1SKIN^™, a unique label-less recycled PET bottle. Combining distinctive shelf-appeal with the highest eco credentials, it has been designed to help Sidel’s customers achieve their sustainability goals and drive sales of high-end products.

The one-litre bottle is destined for the booming market in sensitive juices, teas and flavoured drinks. The new 1SKIN concept represents a breakthrough both in sustainability and in its streamlined design.

Made with readily available 100 % recycled PET (r-PET), 1SKIN has been designed by Sidel for easy recycling. The label-free bottle with its tethered cap can immediately enter the recycling stream with no need to separate additional raw materials such as ink, glue, labels or sleeves. Customers choosing 1SKIN will stay ahead of the main worldwide regulations and market trends for sustainable packaging.

Launched at the international beverages trade fair, drinktec in Germany in September, the bottle has attracted interest from customers from all over the world seeking to make their packaging more sustainable. Many of the major brands are embracing higher sustainability standards, driven by consumer influence as well as growing legislation to encourage recycling.

Appealing looks and drinking experience

1SKIN is made to stand out on shelves in one of the fastest growing and most competitive beverage segments. The bottle is designed to deliver an appealing drinking experience, with an ergonomic grip for comfortable pouring. It has a wide neck and a cap lock feature to keep the open bottle top away from the consumer’s face. On the bottle’s label-free surface there are multiple options to use differing fonts and textures, with the transparency enabling great opportunities for natural light and shadow play. The ultra-precise graphic elements are created using Sidel’s most advanced mould technologies combined with its blow moulding expertise. QR or bar codes can be printed on the bottle closure to provide information to consumers or enable individual unit sales.

The bottle design guarantees safety and protects the integrity of products with a long shelf life. Sidel’s patented Starlite^™ Sensitive base technology combines a premium glass-like design with optimised weight and performance on high-speed lines.

Suntory Group announced that, as a crucial step toward its aim to use 100 % sustainable PET bottles globally by 2030 and eliminate all petroleum-based virgin plastic from its global PET supply, the company has successfully created a prototype PET bottle made from 100 % plant-based materials. The prototype has been produced for the company’s iconic Orangina brand in Europe along with its best-selling bottled mineral water brand in Japan, Suntory Tennensui. This announcement marks a breakthrough after a nearly decade-long partnership with the US-based sustainable technology company Anellotech.

PET is produced using two raw materials, 70 % terephthalic acid (PTA) and 30 % mono ethylene glycol (MEG). Suntory’s prototype plant-based bottle is made by combining Anellotech’s new technology, a plant-based paraxylene derived from wood chips, which has been converted to plant-based PTA, and pre-existing plant-based MEG made from molasses which Suntory has been using in its Suntory Tennensui brand in Japan since 2013.

“We’re delighted with this achievement, as it brings us one step closer to delivering this sustainable PET bottle to the hands of our consumers,” said Tsunehiko Yokoi, Executive Officer of Suntory MONOZUKURI Expert Ltd. “The significance of this technology is that the PTA is produced from non-food biomass to avoid competition with the food chain, while MEG is also derived from non-food grade feedstock.”

This innovation is an additional step towards achieving Suntory Group’s ambition to eliminate use of all petroleum-derived virgin PET plastic bottles globally by transitioning to 100 % recycled or plant-based PET bottles by 2030. The fully recyclable prototype plant-based bottle is estimated to significantly lower carbon emissions compared to petroleum derived virgin bottle.

“This achievement is the result of over ten years of thorough and painstaking development work by Anellotech’s dedicated employees, together with Suntory and other partners,” said David Sudolsky, President and CEO of Anellotech. “The competitive advantage of Anellotech’s Bio-TCat generated paraxylene is its process efficiency (it uses a single-step thermal catalytic process by going directly from biomass to aromatics (benzene, toluene and xylene)), as well as the opportunity it creates for a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions as compared to its identical fossil-derived paraxylene in the manufacture of PET, especially as it generates required process energy from the biomass feedstock itself.”

This technology is one of the latest investments from Suntory in the company’s long history of addressing the social and environmental impacts of containers and packaging. In 1997, Suntory established its “Guidelines for the Environmental Design of Containers and Packaging.” For plastic bottles specifically, it has used its 2R+B (Reduce/Recycle + Bio) strategy to reduce the weight of containers, including labels and caps, and actively introduce recycled or plant-based materials in its plastic bottles used globally. Most significantly, it has created the lightest bottle cap, the thinnest bottle label, and the lightest PET bottle produced in Japan to date.

“Suntory has been entrenched in the work to create sustainable packaging solutions since 1997. This plant-based bottle prototype honors our historic dedication while shining a light, not only on our path to achieving our 2030 fully sustainable PET bottle goal, but also towards our ambition to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across the entire value chain by 2050,” said Tomomi Fukumoto, COO of Sustainability Management at Suntory Holdings.

This milestone amplifies the great momentum of Suntory’s continuous work on promoting a plastic circular economy, through the development of sustainable materials, adoption of circular processes, investment to pioneer advanced technologies and promotion of behavioral change for consumers. Suntory aims to commercialize this 100 % plant-based bottle as soon as possible to meet its 2030 fully sustainable PET bottle goal.

Following the news that the Coca-Cola Company is trialling its first paper bottle; Alice Popple, Consumer Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers her view:

“Coca-Cola trialling a new paper bottle comes as no surprise as there has been an increase in sustainability initiatives from brands attempting to revamp strategy and ensure longevity post COVID-19. Brand’s sustainability initiatives will be vital in the future as GlobalData’s research reveals that nearly half (48 %)¹ of global shoppers view ‘plastic-free packaging’ claims to be more important to them now, than before the COVID-19 pandemic, with 13 %¹ claiming that it is a top priority.

“Last year saw a decline in revenue for Coca-Cola as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic², therefore a strategy switch up is necessary to boost sales and interest in the brand. One in three (31 %)³ of global consumers say that they have stopped or are buying less carbonated soft drinks than before the pandemic – a main reason for this may be the excess of single-use plastic in the sector, aligning to the high degree of importance that plastic free packaging is currently experiencing.

“Joining the zero-waste initiative is vital for consumer satisfaction in 2021, with over a third (36 %)¹ of global shoppers being specifically interested in a brand’s new sustainability initiatives following the pandemic. Coca-Cola’s trial of its first paper bottle will stem other market leaders to follow suit.”

¹GlobalData’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) Recovery Consumer Survey Results: Week 11 – Global (Published 9th December 2020) – Combined responses: “It is now my top priority”, “It is significantly more important to me”, and “It is slightly more important to me”
²GlobalData’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) Company Impact: Coca-Cola H2 Update
³GlobalData’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) Recovery Consumer Survey Results: Week 11 – Global (Published 9th December 2020) – Combined responses: “I have stopped buying this”, “I am buying significantly lower quantities than before”, and “I am buying slightly lower quantities than before”

Coca-Cola in Europe will trial its first ever paper bottle prototype. The move marks a further step in fulfilling The Coca-Cola Company’s global vision of achieving a “World Without Waste”, in which the Company has pledged to ensure all of its packaging is collected, recycled or re-used by 2030.

The new paper bottle prototype has been developed through a partnership between scientists at the Coca-Cola Research and Development Laboratories in Brussels and The Paper Bottle Company (Paboco).The technology developed by Paboco is designed to create 100 % recyclable bottles made of sustainably sourced wood with a bio-based material barrier capable of resisting liquids, CO₂ and oxygen, and suitable for liquid goods such as carbonated and still drinks, beauty products and more. The current prototype consists of a paper shell with a recyclable^* plastic lining and cap. The ultimate goal is a bottle that can be recycled as paper.

“The trial we are announcing today is a milestone for us in our quest to develop a paper bottle”, said Daniela Zahariea, Director of Technical Supply Chain & Innovation for Coca-Cola Europe. “People expect Coca-Cola to develop and bring to market new, innovative and sustainable types of packaging. That’s why we are partnering with experts like Paboco, experimenting openly and conducting this first in-market trial. It’s part of delivering on our World Without Waste commitments.”

The trial is scheduled to take place in the second quarter of this year and will involve the Company’s plant-based AdeZ drink being offered to 2,000 consumers in Hungary, through a partnership with Kifli.hu – one of Hungary’s fastest growing online grocery retailers.

The launch is an important step in seeing how the paper bottle prototype performs and how consumers react, according to Coca-Cola Europe’s Stijn Franssen, R&D Packaging Innovation Manager. The paper bottle prototype is 100 % recyclable* and currently consists of a paper shell, with a recyclable plastic lining and cap. Mr Franssen said the Company’s partnership with Paboco is focused on developing a paper bottle than can be fully recycled as paper.

“This trial will provide us with invaluable insight and feedback”, said Mr Franssen. “We will get to see how the paper bottle prototype performs as packaging and what consumers think and feel about it. This is an exciting step forward for us, as it means we’re out of the lab and into the real world. So for the first time, consumers will actually be drinking one of our products from a potentially new type of paper packaging”, he added.

^*where technology is available

“Reduce, reuse, recycle”: for the KHS Group these three pillars of sustainability are a composite part of its corporate philosophy. The manufacturer of filling and packaging technology consistently focuses on resource-saving, recycling-friendly systems and solutions. Together with Austrian packaging expert ALPLA KHS has now developed a returnable PET container that at 55 grams is extremely light. The 1.0-liter bottle’s high recyclate content of 35 % also has a very positive effect on its overall ecobalance.

For decades the KHS Group has been heralded as a technological leader in returnable container systems, chiefly driven by its great innovative strength and striving to develop sustainable, future-proof plant engineering. The various partnerships it has formed with innovative figures in the industry have proved a further recipe for success. Together with ALPLA KHS has now developed a returnable PET bottle that is impressive with its low weight and high recyclate content. With this development the engineering company adheres to its maxim of “reduce and recycle”, states Arne Wiese, Bottles & Shapes product manager at the KHS Group. “We aimed to produce a returnable container system that’s as environmentally friendly as possible. Two parameters are of prime importance here: low weight and a high percentage of recyclate.”

Environmentally friendly: returnable bottle’s low weight convincing

By optimizing the bottle base and neck the packaging experts managed to considerably cut down on weight compared to conventional returnable PET containers. At 55 grams, on average the 1.0-liter bottle is ten grams lighter than its standard counterparts. Compared to glass containers it clocks up just a tenth of the weight on the scales. “This optimization means that the amount of material used is much lower. At the same time, fuel consumption and thus also CO₂ emissions drop during transportation,” Wiese explains. Both have a positive effect on the bottle’s ecobalance.

Despite less use of materials the returnable system is ideal for a high circulation. The PET bottle has good resistance to caustic, meaning that its quality and appearance are maintained even after numerous washing cycles.

Sustainable: packaging system with high recyclate content

The aspects of easy recyclability and the use of recyclate also played a major role in the bottle’s development. The environmentally-friendly returnable container is not only fully recyclable and thus remains in the recycling loop; its high recyclate content is also compelling. “We’ve had outstanding test results with preforms made of up to 35 % recycled materials; preforms containing 50 % recyclate are also feasible for some brands,” states Wiese. The PET system devised by KHS and ALPLA therefore more than satisfies the European Commission’s requirement that one-way PET bottles comprise 30 % recyclate by 2030.

The optimized preforms can be blown on all KHS stretch blow molders for returnable containers. These include the particularly resource-saving InnoPET Blomax Series V. The new packaging system is suitable for all types of beverage in the returnable container segment. “We’re convinced that we can place our ecofriendly PET bottle on the market quickly and successfully. Our aim is to implement the market launch in close cooperation with bottling companies,” Wiese concludes.

Diageo, makers of Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff and Guinness, announced that it has created the world’s first ever 100 % plastic free paper-based spirits bottle, made entirely from sustainably sourced wood. The bottle will debut with Johnnie Walker, the world’s number one Scotch Whisky, in early 2021.

It comes as Diageo announces that it has launched a new partnership with Pilot Lite, a venture management company, to launch Pulpex Limited, a new world-leading sustainable packaging technology company. To ensure that the technology can be used in every area of life, Pulpex Limited has established a partner consortium of world leading FMCG companies in non-competing categories including Unilever, and PepsiCo, with further partners expected to be announced later in the year. The consortium partners are each expecting to launch their own branded paper bottles, based on Pulpex Limited’s design and technology, in 2021.

Pulpex Limited has developed a ‘first-of-its-kind’ scalable paper-based bottle designed and developed to be 100 % plastic free and expected to be fully recyclable. The bottle is made from sustainably sourced pulp to meet food-safe standards and will be fully recyclable in standard waste streams. The technology will allow brands to rethink their packaging designs, or move existing designs into paper, whilst not compromising on the existing quality of the product.

Pulpex Limited’s technology allows it to produce a variety of plastic-free, single mould bottles that can be used across a range of consumer goods. The packaging has been designed to contain a variety of liquid products and will form part of Diageo’s commitment towards Goal 12 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: ‘Responsible Consumption and Production’.

Ball Corporation launches infinitely recyclable aluminum bottle line

Ball Corporation is launching a new impact extruded aluminium bottle line that provides a circular solution to plastic pollution. In the hands of our sustainability, innovation and product design experts, aluminum is taking shape as a new bottle – the Infinity^™ Aluminum Bottle – that is designed to be made again. Available in various shapes and sizes, this impact extruded aluminum bottle can be customized for numerous food and beverage products. Unlike other substrates in these categories, such as plastic shampoo bottles or jars for cosmetics, Ball’s aluminium bottles are infinitely recyclable, and can be turned into other aluminum products over and over again.

“Plastic waste that ends up in the natural environment has led to more public discussion about packaging, its life cycle and recyclability,” said Jason Galley, director of innovation and sustainability, Ball Corporation. “Consumers are demanding more environmentally friendly solutions for packaging their everyday products. We combined our product design and sustainable aluminium packaging expertise to develop another truly circular packaging solution – the Infinity^™ Aluminum Bottle.”

Ball’s new impact extruded product line is suitable for packaging almost any liquid. The innovative aluminum bottles are available in a range of sizes and formats, and are customizable for various products. Ideal categories for the Infinity^™ Bottles include shampoos and conditioners, soaps, body creams, spirits, energy shots, yogurt, dressings, syrups, condiments and more. The bottles are available with a re-closable threaded cap that allows consumers to twist the top on and off.

An infinitely recyclable package

The Infinity^™ Aluminum Bottle line features all of the sustainability credentials of aluminum. Like Ball’s aluminum beverage cans, cups and Alumi-Tek^® bottles, the impact extruded aluminum bottle is monomaterial – it consists of only one material and can be easily sorted and recycled. In fact, aluminum can be recycled an infinite number of times without losing quality. Aluminum also retains its value throughout the recycling process, so it can be kept in circulation indefinitely without becoming waste and ending up in the ocean or in landfills. In fact, 75 percent of aluminum ever produced (since 1888) is still in use today.¹ After use, an aluminum bottle can be recycled and returned as a new packaging format in just 60 days. It can also be recycled to take on a new life as another aluminum product, such as consumer electronics or a bicycle. Other substrates achieve much lower recycling rates and, if recycled, are in many cases down-cycled and eventually become waste.

Lightweight product with endless branding options

In addition to strong recycling credentials, aluminum bottles have a number of other advantages that help improve resource efficiency and enable circularity. For example, aluminum is lightweight, which saves energy in transportation. Once bottles are ready for design, they can be branded without the use of sleeves or labels. Even the most creative and complex designs can be printed on aluminum using the full circumference of the bottle. Ball’s innovative high-definition printing and graphic design technologies such as Eyeris^® HD printing, UV light reactive ink, Matte & Gloss, or Tactile printing help

¹Source: The Aluminum Association

One of the current tendencies is the consumer demand to return to the essence, the craftmanship, and the imperfect beauty. To respond to this demand, Estal, a leading premium packaging company, presents their new contemporary‐vintage design, Wildly Crafted.

Wildly Crafted is a new type of design made for manufacturers that embrace an artisan spirit. The philosophy of this new brand is the production of small batches, but Estal can also produce large amounts. The collection Wildly Crafted is easily recognizable, generated in a brand of identity and community within distilleries that use them: their bottles are unique because they are sealed and contain a texture that can be labeled and varied, like an orange peel, bubbles, movements of glass and imperfections – which present a handcrafted look. All of this can be added to their respect for sustainability.

The Wildly Crafted bottles can be fabricated with the option of 100 % recycled glass PCR (Post‐ Consumer Recycled Glass) that comes from gathering in municipalities. The use of this recycled glass permits the reduction of energy consumption and diminishes CO2 emission, since less fuel consumption is required when melting this material than by converting the raw material into glass. It also involves a lower total extraction of virgin materials, because 1 kg of recovered glass equals 1.2 kg of raw materials.

The Wildly Crafted bottle catalog features five distinct shapes: Primal, the toughest and most powerful design, sculpted in stone; Natural, with a look reminiscent of the ancient terracotta amphorae and the beauty that leaves the passage of time in the glass; Brave, which reinterprets the bottles of whiskey but with a bold design and a texture with bumps; Bobber, cylindrical and powerful, as well as mechanical and natural and finally, Bobber Jr., a tribute to the artisan brewers.

To this diversity of shapes, the possibility of choosing between two different mouths is added: Bocachata, with a clear and clean finish, providing a handmade bottle appearance and a contemporary look thanks to the purity of its lines and Choker, which presents a small space just below the neck, which corresponds to the mold separation line and allows the bottle to be moved across the production line.

The new Wild Glass color is the perfect complement to the Wildly Crafted bottle series, as it starts from the same concept of respect for sustainability and natural beauty. Applicable to both wine bottles, distillery and beverages in general, as well as gourmet and beauty sector, Wild Glass is obtained with 100 % PCR recycled white glass and is an efficient solution, since its application does not discard bottles with cosmetic imperfections of aesthetic character, thus reducing the environmental impact caused by discards. The color range of the “Colour is life” series, to which Wild Glass belongs, is also expanded with the introduction of Amber and Black tones, which stand out for their extreme elegance and wide application, being very attractive for distillery.

combidome makes Polish debut

Maspex Wadowice Group, one of the biggest food manufacturers in Central and Eastern Europe, continues its close partnership with SIG, as it rejuvenates its popular juice brand Tymbark, using the innovative combidome carton pack. This is the first time the unique carton bottle has been launched in Poland.

Looking for stand out on-shelf differentiation, Maspex has realized the opportunity to refresh consumer appeal for its natural Tymbark fruit juice range, with a packaging innovation never been produced in Poland before.

Consumer preference

A recent consumer survey showed a clear preference for combidome, with the carton performing four times better than a competitor package. Participants in the survey highlighted the convenient grip and centrally located spout that ensures an outstanding pouring experience – a feature highly valued by consumers.

With a heritage that spans 85 years, the Tymbark brand is renowned for premium taste and quality, not only in its homeland of Poland but in many other European countries. The brand’s premium juice range requires a perfectly matched packaging solution, to impact on consumer purchasing decisions by standing out on shelf and providing clear usage benefits.

Maspex has a close relationship with SIG that goes back 20 years, which ensures the right product and packaging decision is made. This time combidome has been chosen for Maspex’ renowned Tymbark juice range.

As increasingly mobile consumers become more discerning about quality and convenience, packaging is playing more of an essential role. SIG relentlessly aims to drive Product Innovation and Differentiation, working in partnership with producers like Maspex to offer product and packaging solutions which perfectly match food and drink developments.

combidome convenience and on-shelf appeal

combidome perfectly complements Tymbark’s juice range, with its sturdy yet slim shape and modern design. The carton’s in store appeal, including a shelf ready tray, provides a point of difference to busy shoppers, clearly depicting the product’s premium quality and image. combidome also ensures safe product protection and consumers can benefit from its strong environmental credentials, plus secure reclosing and storage.