Light wine packaging is increasingly more important. And, someone invests a lot on it as Elena Walch

Lower weight means less implemented glass, and, therefore, lower energy costs to produce it. But, also economic saving, and not only. A theme, that of sustainable and light packaging which is increasingly more central in wine world with many wineries investing on it. As, for example, Elena Walch, one of the most iconic wineries of South Tyrol, headed by Elena Walch, together with daughters Julia and Karoline Walch, who presented the new light bottle for her “Linea Selezione”, in Bourgogne format, available for wines of vintage 2024, and which weighs 395 grams, 21% less compared to the initial weight of 500 grams. With a first estimated result which is the annual abatement of 64 tons of Co2 along the different phases of the supply chain.
“A concrete step testifying our constant commitment in the reduction of Co2 footprint, and with the full respect of the environment”, explained Karoline Walch. A project which is not banal, seen that “the research of an increasingly lighter bottle arises from a deepened analysis of Co2 emissions, carried out in 2022 by Ökoinstitut Alto Adige. The balance of Co2 revealed that a significant part of emissions derive from the production and transportation of bottles, particularly from Scope-3 emissions, which constitute 53% of overall emissions of the winery. This awareness pushed the company to look for concrete solutions to reduce the environmental impact leading to the creation of lighter premium bottles, which are perfect for Selezione wines”, explains the winery.
But, how does the lower weight of a wine bottle affect climate positively? There are more reasons. “The first matter regards energy saving: less glass to work means less consumed energy  - explains, to WineNews, Andrea Borghi, president VetroLab, the glassmaker which produces the bottle (one of the lightest in the world, ed), and among the most important in Northern Italy, for wine and not only -  then, there is the theme of transportation. Upload on a truck 35-40,000 few heavy bottles allows to transport more, but doing less polluting trips. And, the same concept is worth when containers on ships are fulled in the cases of export via sea”.
The theme of light packaging in wine world is not an innovation: in February 2025, Slow Wine Fair by Slow Food/BolognaFiere, in Bologna, for example, put this topic at the center of the fair, also promoting a real Call-to-Action addressed to all the actors of the supply chain. According to an estimate, wine affects from 30% to 70% the carbon footprint of wine supply chain. But not in the case it is recycled: “up to some years ago, the percentage of recycled glass was lower by far  - explains Borghi -  today, there is more attention and competence in the selection of junk to ensure that more is recovered. There are bottles whose 80% are made with recycled glass, on their turn, by other wine bottles. A percentage which is going to increase: also because recycled glass, in an oven, melts at a lower energy compared to what is needed to combine all raw materials (sand, carbonates). Again, there is an optimization of costs”. And there are no productive reasons, but also trade ones: “some countries – recalls Borghi – apply taxes basing on the weight of the container: for example, in Canada, heavier bottles have a higher tax compared to lighter ones”.
A path, that of the lightening of packaging which is certainly part of an organic strategy implemented by many companies which are sensitive to the theme of sustainability, such as the same Elena Walch, who is, since ever, attentive to the themes linked to environment, and to which, in 2024, Certificazione Viva was recognized, which the Ministry of Environment recognizes to win businesses adopting eco-compatible practices, respect the territory, and contribute to the quality of Italian wine. Therefore, in the years, South Tyrol company adopted sustainable practices such as energy efficiency, the implementation of renewable energies, and the responsible management of water and soil resources.
Good practices, which, if replicated also by other ones, with increasingly more wineries looking to lighter packaging and bottles. Excluding the world of sparkling wines which need different pressures, and, therefore, heavier containers. “Many of my clients, in the last years, lightened their bottles - still says president Vetrolab Borghi – there is who passed from 650 to 450 grams, someone arrived also to 360 grams. The trend is, at this point, incontrovertible”. But not anywhere, and not in all markets, for example, in Asia, “where heavy bottle is still synonym of quality – explains – if it weighs 1 kg, it means that wine is good. But, clearly, it is not that way, it is only a cultural matter. In Europe, we have a different awareness, and we can separate the content from the container”.