Aldi and Packamama have introduced a pioneering line of wine bottles crafted entirely from recycled PET, marking a significant leap in sustainable packaging innovation. These ‘flat’ wine bottles, unveiled on Global Recycling Day, are revolutionising the industry with their lightweight design, weighing a mere 63g and removing a staggering 42 tonnes of bottle weight during their initial launch.

Notably, these bottles are almost seven times lighter than their glass counterparts, promising environmental benefits by streamlining transportation and storage. The compact design allows for 30% more bottles to be loaded onto pallets, potentially reducing the number of lorries on the road. Despite their flat shape, they maintain the same volume of wine as traditional round bottles.

Consumers stand to benefit from the lighter weight, making transportation from store to home a breeze. The flat design also facilitates easier stacking and organisation in storage.

Julie Ashfield, Aldi UK’s Managing Director of Buying, expressed the retailer’s commitment to sustainability, stating, “We know shoppers are looking for greener, more sustainable products and our aim is to continue to deliver this, whilst offering great value and enhanced functionality.”

Packamama’s CEO & founder, Santiago Navarro, expressed pride in partnering with Aldi to lead the charge in sustainable wine packaging. He highlighted the eco-flat bottles as a blend of quality, value, and sustainability, offering customers the much-loved Chapter & Verse wines in innovative packaging.

These flat rPET bottles are initially available for Aldi’s Chapter & Verse Shiraz and Chapter & Verse Chardonnay products across the UK, including Click & Collect options.

In addition to this initiative, Aldi has launched a recyclable PET bottle for its Chassaux et Fils Méditerranée Rosé, further reducing bottle weight and advancing its sustainability goals. The retailer aims to lower the average bottle weight of all its still wine products by 8% by 2025.

This move towards sustainable packaging follows a trend in the industry, with previous developments like Garçon Wines and Accolade Wines’ flat bottles in 2020, and Packamama’s collaboration with Accolade Wines and Taylors Wines in 2022.

As the beverage industry continues to innovate towards sustainability, Aldi and Packamama’s initiative sets a new standard, paving the way for greener, more environmentally conscious packaging solutions.