Introduction
The liquor industry manufactures billions of bottles and cans annually, which has a negative impact on waste and the environment in general. But in the last decade or so, the aspect of sustainability has been of significant concern among manufacturers of liquor and the consumers as well. Sustainable packaging is crucial as liquor companies seek to minimize their impact of their products on the environment, given rising consumer consciousness regarding the same. In this article the author focuses on the new sustainable materials and technologies that can be used for the environmentally friendly liquor packaging in the future.
The issue with conventional liquor packaging
Liquor bottles and cans’ traditional materials such as glass, aluminum, and plastic pose paramount environmental concerns. Glass manufacturing is also a big emitter of CO2 and heavily reliant on energy use. Plastics are derived from non-renewable sources such as fossil fuels and contribute to environmental problems such as landfills and marine pollution. The mining of aluminum to source bauxite also comes with very high environmental impact costs.
In addition, drinking in heavy glass bottles has a significant impact on the amount of carbon required for transportation. However, as much as some glass bottles are recycled, the remains are dumped in the landfills. The raw materials used, manufacturing processes, and waste associated with the traditional liquor packaging pollute the air, land, and water while exerting immense pressure on the depletion of natural resources.
Sustainable Materials for Eco-Friendly Liquor Packaging
Green packaging on the other hand can be defined as packaging that is made from renewable, recyclable and responsibly sourced material that have little effects on the environment in their production. There are quite a number of innovative solutions in this case that offer better solutions than the conventional bottles and cans.
- Bag-in-box: Wine and liquor are delivered using less packaging material in durable cardboard boxes with recyclable plastic bladder bags. The bags also collapse well during transportation while on the other hand, the cardboard used is sourced from renewable resources.
- Pouches: They are portable, stand-up pouches that look like bags of wine, but the wine is in a box. They offer single-use types of packages that are made using 75% smaller packaging than the ones used in rigid bottles. It is important to note that most pouches are made of recyclable plastic laminates.
- Paper Bottles: Paper bottles look like plastic bottles and are durable, made from renewable wood fiber. Paper bottles are light weight and easy to recycle and they pose no harm to the environment. Their production is 50% less carbonated than glass or plastic bottles.
- Bioplastics: The plant-based bioplastics used for liquor bottles originate from agricultural waste materials and not fossil fuel. They can decompose under some circumstances or be subjected to chemical reprocessing. However, there are some challenges that are preventing their availability to a broader market today.
- Composite Cans: Most beverage cartons are made from paperboard with thin layers of aluminum and polyethylene. The paper used to manufacture this paper originates from sustainably managed sources while the cartons contain not less than 75% paper.
Sustainable Production and Distribution Practices
To a certain extent, one can observe that sourcing eco-friendly materials is a good beginning. Yet, emphasis should also be placed on the environmentally sustainable ways of manufacturing and delivering liquor goods. Another way that the industry has sought to minimize its impact on the environment is by making environmentally friendly decisions during production, packaging, and movement of the product.
- Renewable Energy: There are other sources of energy including bio fuels, solar energy, wind energy or hydropower to supply energy for powering the machinery in the bottling centers for liquor. There are some cases where distilleries have adopted renewables to achieve net zero operation.
- Lightweighting: Reducing the weight of glass bottles, cans and paper cartons enables the manufacturer to minimise the material used per production. It also reduces the usage of fuel during the delivery of the products. Manufacturers of bottles can reduce their carbon emissions by 10% if they choose to make the bottles lighter.
- Recycling and Reuse: The use of recycled paper content in paper cartons and recycled glass content in bottles provided new functions to waste products. Some companies also clean and reuse the glass bottles for alcohol which are returned back to them.
- Local Sourcing: In regards to location, purchasing grains, fruits, or vegetables for liquors from regional farmers decreases the transportation miles and cost. It also gives an opportunity in investment within the local economy.
The Bottom Line
It is for this reason that there are strong environmental and economical arguments for sustainable packaging for liquor. Thus, when new materials for instead of glass, plastic and aluminum bottles and cans appear on the market large and small brands can afford to switch to environment-friendly bottles at a reasonable cost.
Consumers also have immense influence in steering the liquor industry into a greener future based on their buying power. Consumption of organic and locally produced liquors that come in sustainable packaging boxes puts control back in the hands of brands to reduce their ecological footprint. While implementing sustainable packaging in the supply and distribution networks of liquor, strategic partnerships can help promote green packaging.
In conclusion, the use of recyclable, compostable and renewable packaging materials, sustainable production practices and environmentally friendly transportation offer a roadmap for the international liquor industry to reduce waste and pollution. Adopting these integrated green packaging solutions prepares the liquor producers to do business in tomorrow’s environmental compliance economy.
