Fetzer Vineyards Switches to Thinner Glass for Wine Packaging

Fetzer Vineyards is using thinner glass in its wine packaging.  In a move designed to reduce transportation costs and improve the company's environmental impact the winery made the decision to use less glass in its bottles.

A piece by Michelle Locke of the AP details the vineyard's packaging change.

Thin is in at Fetzer Vineyards, at least when it comes to wine bottles: The Northern California winery is switching to a lighter weight glass to cut shipping costs and give the environment a break.

"It's one of those win-win approaches," said Ann Thrupp, manager of sustainability and organic development for Hopland California-based Fetzer.

For Fetzer, the new bottles are on average 14 percent lighter, with the 750- milliliter bottles now weighing 15.5 oz. when empty. With 23 million bottles a year shipped, that adds up to 2,200 tons of glass saved — less resources used, less money spent on materials and less fuel needed for transport.

The new bottles have the same shapes and colors as traditional wine bottles, but most have a flat bottom, as opposed to the traditional indentation known as a "punt."

The punt is being kept for some of the winery's premium lines, but since one of its main purposes is to collect sediment, it is not necessary for everyday wines that aren't going to spend years in a cellar, Fetzer spokesman Jim Caudill said.

The ability to make lighter glass isn't new; what is is the attention it's getting as a "green" alternative, said Kevin Stevens, vice president of sales and marketing for the North American region of Ohio-based O-I, the manufacturer of the new Fetzer bottles.

via the Associated Press
photos: Eric Risberg/AP

Comments

[Chic and Green]

What a great idea, I hope more companies switch to thinner glass.

[Corinne]

yay fetzer! i love fetzer wine, and i'm glad they've gone eco-friendly.