Janet CollinsWine in Plastic – Environmentally Friendly or Cheap Option?
June 29th 2009 08:27
Good things used to come in glass or so the slogan went but most of our drinks manufacturers have turned, or are turning, to plastic – PET plastic that is.
Two Australian winemakers have followed in the footsteps of soft drink manufacturers and and turning to plastic as the container of choice. Wolf Blass and Sirromet Wines cite environmental reasons for the decision claiming plastic bottles produced almost 30 per cent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than glass bottles and are cheaper and safer to recycle.
Bottling wine in plastic in preference to glass was first considered for sale at sporting and other venues where glass was banned. The small glass size bottles for this purpose have been available for some time. Now these two winemakers are taking a further step.
Australian wines have been bottled overseas in PET for some time, the argument again being that bulk wine can be transported to countries such as the UK and then bottled in PET. This, they say, reduces the weight in transportation and thus reduces carbon emissions.
I would imagine this also lowers the production costs of the wine, probably a much more important reason for the winemakers’ decision. Perhaps we will be able to buy the wine at a much cheaper price?
The winemakers have made a gamble however. They are banking on the product moving through retailers rather quickly. Wine in plastic has a shelf life of only twelve months after bottling. So for their sakes, it will have to be a popular option.
Would you buy wine in a plastic bottle or will you stick by the glass one?
Sourced: www.theage.com.au; www.choice.com.au.
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