Banrock Station launches first flat-bottled wine into UK supermarkets

Image: Garçon Wines

Banrock Station, Accolade Wines’ eco-friendly brand, is releasing the first eco-friendly, flat bottle made from 100% recycled PET plastic into UK supermarkets.

Collaborating with Garçon Wines to create the flat bottle product, Banrock Station’s Merlot and Chardonnay wines are now available in the UK’s Co-op stores.

Banrock Station’s vision is to become the world’s most recognised eco-friendly wine brand by offering an accessible and affordable wine option for the growing number of consumers looking to make more sustainable product purchases.

Packaged at ‘The Park’, the 750ml bottles are made from 100% recycled and pre-existing PET polymer material, not single-use plastic. It takes 75 percent less energy to make a plastic bottle from recycled material compared with using virgin material, according to the manufacturer, and CO2 emissions of recycled PET were found to be 79% lower than for virgin PET.

The bottles are also 100% recyclable and certified carbon neutral, weighing just 63g when empty. The Banrock Station bottles are 87% lighter than the average UK glass wine bottle, resulting in significant CO2 savings across the supply chain.

The flat design is approximately 40% spatially smaller than the average glass wine bottle4, whilst still containing 75cl of wine, and contributes to packaging efficiencies, with up to 91% more wine fitting on pallets, further reducing CO2 emissions.

Accolade Wines brand manager Lindsay Holas said, “We pride ourselves on our environmental ethos and our aim is to galvanise consumers to ‘do good’ for themselves and our planet, as well as supporting retailers to meet the demand for green products”.

“We know that 62% of customers say they want to buy from sustainable brands and 37% of global consumers are influenced by ethical credentials when purchasing alcohol,” she said.

“The move to using these flat wine bottles is a big step in Accolade Wines’ environmental journey as we manage our business in a responsible manner from vineyard to the consumer.

“This will also allow Banrock Station and retailers to target younger consumers, who on the whole are more aware and concerned for the future of the planet.

“We’re pleased to collaborate with Garçon Wines and the Co-op to bring this exciting technology to market, benefitting both retailers and consumers.”

Wine buyer at The Co-operative Group Ed Robinson said, “At the Co-op, we are keen to work with supplier partners who embrace the latest sustainable initiatives and, as such, it is very exciting to be involved in this project with Banrock Station”.

Commercial director at Garçon Wines Amelia Dales added, “As a start-up striving to help reduce the carbon footprint of wine, for the health of our planet and the future of our industry through eco-friendly, flat wine bottles, Garçon Wines are highly motivated to be working with Accolade Wines […] towards being the UK’s most sustainable wine supplier”.

“Accolade leads from the front with their approach to sustainability, and Banrock Station, a brand renowned for its commitment to protecting the environment, is a natural fit for our multi award-winning bottles.

“Following a number of successful Accolade brand launches in our bottles in the Nordics, and an increasing consumer awareness of the environmental footprint of the products they purchase, we are looking forward to Banrock Station making a UK supermarket debut in our flat, 100% recycled PET bottles, giving Co-op’s customers the opportunity to enjoy great wines in a new, engaging and sustainable format.

“This launch is a key milestone for our young company and an exciting stage of our multi-brand, -channel, and -country strategy.”

 

For more information about the innovative bottle design from Garçon Wines, click here to read an article originally published in the October issue of The Australian & New Zealand Grapegrower & Winemaker.

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