Aldi is continuing a drive to improve the sustainability of its products by launching the UK’s first supermarket own-label aluminium wine bottle.
Rolling out in stores from Monday next week, the Costellore Pinot Grigio (£5.99, 75cl) comes in a fully recyclable aluminium bottle that weighs only 95g, making it almost 75% lighter than a standard glass bottle. The discounter noted that the weight reduction translates to a transport saving of over five tonnes per lorryload.
The wine itself is shipped directly from Italy and bottled at a UK winery.
The launch follows Aldi recently being crowned ‘Sustainable Drinks Retailer of the Year’ at The Drinks Retailing Awards. This followed other sustainability initiatives by the discounter, including the introduction of a super-lightweight bottle in partnership with Lanchester Wines and two own-label wines in paper bottles.
Julie Ashfield, Chief Commercial Officer at Aldi UK, said: “Our buying teams are constantly exploring ways to offer greater value and greener choices for our customers. Shoppers are looking for ways to make a difference, and we’re proud to be leading the way with innovations like this aluminium wine bottle, building on our commitment to sustainable packaging.”
Aldi partnered with Broadland Drinks, a UK-based company dedicated to providing climate-friendly packaging for the drinks industry on the initiative.
Catherine Smith, Commercial Director at Broadland Drinks, commented: “This initiative fits perfectly with our ambition to reduce our own carbon footprint and work with our retailers to make their businesses more sustainable. We know the biggest factor in a bottle of wine’s carbon footprint is the bottle itself, so by switching from glass to aluminium, we can help meet the rising demand for alternative lower carbon formats.”
Last week, organic wine company Vinca launched the UK’s first wines in full-sized recyclable aluminium bottles in 300 Tesco stores.
