Diageo trials low-carbon glass whisky bottle
Diageo, the global drink giant has partnered with glass manufacturer Encirc to trial a glass whisky bottle that can reduce the carbon impact of its bottle production by up to 90%.
The pilot which was also in collaboration with research and technology body Glass Futures used waste-based biofuel-powered furnaces to produce what Diageo claims is the lowest carbon footprint glass bottle for a Scotch whisky brand.
As part of the trial, the companies produced 173,000 bottles of Diageo’s Black & White Scotch whisky brand using 100% recycled glass. It follows similar initiatives between Encirc and Molson Coors and Carlsberg in trialling low-carbon beer bottles.
John Aird, senior packaging technologist at Diageo, who led the project for the company, said, “We are committed to creating a sustainable future for our business and that includes looking for innovative new ways to make our bottles and packaging that reduces the carbon footprint of our products.”
He added that “This trial is just a first step in the journey to decarbonise this aspect of our supply chain and we still have a long way to go, but we are delighted with the results of the collaboration and the platform it creates for future innovation.”
Following the trial, Diageo has entered into a ten-year partnership with Glass Futures to accelerate collaboration and innovation in the glass industry.
“We see Glass Futures as a great opportunity to develop new technology and to help deliver net-zero glass manufacturing and we are delighted to support them in that mission,” said Aird.
Aston Fuller, general manager of Glass Futures, said: “The trial is delivering fantastic results for the manufacturer, end user and consumer. Glass is a fully recyclable and highly sustainable product, and through this trial with Encirc we are seeing the dawn of net-zero technologies with this full-scale trial of a new alternative low-carbon fuel.”
Last year, Diageo announced that it had created the ‘first-ever’ 100% plastic-free, paper-based spirits bottle.
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