Feature
Beer, Wine & Spirits Packaging: Countless Routes to Sustainability
From alternative wine packaging to more efficient ways to print expiration dates on beer bottles, 2024 displayed the enterprising spirit of companies determined to push the envelope on sustainable beer, wine and spirits packaging.
Image Source: caiafilm / Creatas Video via Getty Images
2024 was rife with innovation when it comes to beer, wine and spirits packaging. Many of the headline-making developments had the common theme of sustainability — not to mention the perennially important theme of ensuring product quality.
Archer Roose and ecoSIP offer two different but equally intriguing approaches to wine packaging.
Archer Roose is so committed to the success of the burgeoning canned wine market that it collaborated with Cornell University on a groundbreaking study that promises to set unprecedented standards for canned wine packaging. The collaboration is breaking new ground in the science of maintaining wine freshness in cans, focusing particularly on optimizing sulfite levels.
Like Archer Roose, ecoSIP sees the advantages of single wine servings, albeit with different packaging. Its unique containers are lightweight and space-efficient, cutting transportations costs and making them ideal for wine samples and by-the-glass programs in restaurants, pubs, and meal delivery services, all while preserving the quality of the wine.
Generally speaking, efficient packaging operations can translate to a lower carbon footprint. That’s one reason why Four Peaks brewery — which prints expiration dates on every can or bottle — was happy to switch to LEIBINGER's innovative printing technology. Thanks to the patented nozzle seal technology in LEIBINGER printers, clogs are now a thing of the past, ensuring smooth, uninterrupted production and maximum efficiency.
Finally: Call it a jigsaw puzzle or a Rubik’s Cube, but one challenge of recycling presentation tubes for spirits has been the material duality of a paper body and a metal base. McLaren Packaging tackled that challenge and fittingly took the top spot for Innovation in Packaging at the Spirits Business Awards.
The old saying is that the devil is in the details. In this case, the ingenuity of these beer, wine and spirits packaging solutions is in the details, so check out the full stories below.
Archer Roose’s collaboration with Cornell University is breaking new ground in the science of maintaining wine freshness in cans. Courtesy of Archer Roose
PODCAST | Rethinking Wine Packaging with Archer Roose
By Brad Addington
As someone who typically drinks bottled wine, I was intrigued by the opportunity to interview Marian Leitner-Waldman, Co-Founder and CEO of Archer Roose — a pioneer in the premium canned wine industry. Archer Roose has been making waves with their innovative approach to wine packaging, and it was fascinating to dive into the many advantages of canned wine, a subject they’ve championed since the brand’s inception.
I first learned about Archer Roose because of their collaboration with Cornell University on a groundbreaking study that promises to set new standards for improving canned wine packaging across the entire industry. In our conversation, Leitner-Waldman provided insightful answers about why Archer Roose is openly sharing the findings of this study and why canned wine is poised to reshape the way consumers enjoy wine.
Left: Magda Bulska, ecoSIP board adviser, with an ecoSIP wine container. Right: Ray O’Connor, Master of Wine at ecoSIP. Image courtesy of ecoSIP
ecoSIP containers’ lightweight design cuts transportation costs and makes them ideal for wine samples and by-the-glass programs in restaurants and pubs, all while preserving the quality of the wine. Image courtesy of ecoSIP
ecoSIP Reimagines Wine Packaging
By Alex Taylor, co-founder of ecoSIP
UK-based ecoSIP®, a pioneer in sustainable wine packaging, has announced its rebrand, reflecting a renewed commitment to revolutionizing the wine industry with innovative, eco-friendly solutions. The relaunch is bolstered by the appointment of Ray O’Connor, Master of Wine, as non-executive director, bringing over a decade of retail experience to the company.
Previously known as The Online Wine Tasting Company and established in 2020, ecoSIP aims to lead in sustainable packaging, protecting wine quality while addressing environmental and economic concerns.
LEIBINGER printers are used for printing on glass bottles as well as for coding on cans. Courtesy of Paul Leibinger GmbH & Co. KG
Four Peaks Brewing Company sees enhanced coding efficiency with LEIBINGER
Production downtime and unforeseen costs due to faulty marking systems posed significant challenges for Arizona's largest brewery, Four Peaks. Frequent printhead clogs severely impacted production efficiency. The solution came with the switch to LEIBINGER's innovative printing technology. Thanks to the patented nozzle seal technology in LEIBINGER printers, clogs are now a thing of the past, ensuring smooth, uninterrupted production and maximum efficiency.
At the vanguard of the craft beer industry in the US, Four Peaks is the largest brewer in Arizona and has built a loyal following since it was founded in 1996. Famous for beers such as Kilt Lifter and Wow Wheat, it was acquired in 2016 by beverage giant Anheuser Busch. Four Peaks is therefore not just the creator of awesome beers; it is a modern and highly efficient business, and the person responsible for ensuring high levels of both quality and quantity is Gary Fogg, Head of Production since 2018.
The challenge: A fresh approach to coding
To enjoy craft beer at its best, you need to drink it fresh. The brewery therefore prints expiration dates on every can or bottle, which encourage customers to consume the beer within 120 days of leaving the brewery. This helps to ensure quality — but it can also create a headache for people like Gary because printing the expiration date can be problematic unless you have the right equipment. With LEIBINGER printers on every production line, Gary now enjoys problem-free operation, but it wasn’t always this way.
McLaren Packaging’s presentation tubes for spirits. Courtesy of McLaren Packaging
McLaren Wins for Innovation in Packaging at Spirits Business Awards
McLaren Packaging, a specialist supplier of award-winning, paper-based packaging to the global spirits industry, has won the Innovation in Packaging category at the prestigious Spirits Business Awards 2024 with what has been lauded as a ‘game-changing’ design.
Commenting on McLaren’s innovative packaging solutions, the award judges said: “What stood out most about McLaren was its potential to seriously disrupt the spirits packaging industry with its sustainable, paper-based presentation tubes.
“The vertical perforation on the packaging tubes allows the paper body and metal base to be easily separated and recycled, while retaining a premium look and feel. McLaren Packaging’s design could be a game-changer for the spirits industry.”
McLaren has developed an innovative range of easily recyclable presentation tubes of all shapes and sizes, primarily for distilled spirits.
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