The Future of Drinks Packaging
The packaging that drinks brands come in presents a significant sustainability challenge and a massive creative opportunity. Glass, plastic, aluminium, and composite materials each have their own distinct pros and cons in regards to their environmental impacts and their supporters. The industry must move beyond debates over which is the "best" material, which are clogging up my LinkedIn feed, and race at Usain Bolt speed towards practical, systemic improvements in materials, design, and end of life solutions. We simply have to do everything, everywhere, all at once.
With rising concerns about climate change, resource depletion, changing citizen demands, and government regulations such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), Deposit Return Schemes (DRS), change is not just necessary, it is imminent. Circular systems are the gold standard that we should be building our future around and should be implemented alongside material improvements for maximum positive impact.
ecoSPIRITS’ low carbon low waste packaging system for spirits
Glass packaging has been the default solution for premium spirits, wines, and beer for well over a century. It is estimated that in 2020 we produced 689 billion glass containers, that’s 88.5 containers per person, and 70billion for wines and spirits alone! Glass is a great material for storing liquids as it’s completely inert, transparent or opaque depending on need, aesthetically pleasing, and highly recycled around the world. Despite its recyclability, it has an energy-intensive production process, and its major material requirement, silica sand, the UNEP has raised concerns that we’re running out of. The easiest solution is to increase the percentage of cullet (recycled glass) in new bottles (averages about 50% in production currently), and can reduce energy consumption by around 30% according to the US EPA.
The Nc’nean bottle is made from 100% recycled glass
Currently, some countries in Europe have achieved glass recycling rates above 70% , but this figure needs to be higher (Switzerland impressively recycles 97% of its glass), and many countries, including the UK and US fall far below this rate and some countries still don’t have any glass recycling facilities. Additionally, investing in electric or hydrogen-powered furnaces, such as the one recently commissioned by Verallia in Cognac, instead of fossil-fuel-based ones when they are due to be replaced will help decarbonise the entire industry.
Lightweighting bottles, a practice already adopted by some brands, needs to continue, without sacrificing durability, reducing material use and emissions from transportation.
The most important thing we need to do is a shift towards reuse models as the biggest gains are to be made here and glass is a great material for this. Historically, the UK ran a highly effective DRS scheme from the 1950’s until the late 80’s (I have childhood memories of taking bottles back to the shop with my gran and pocketing the refund) and it also had a successful milk bottle reuse system. Similar deposit-based models, such as the ‘Bottle Bill’ states in the US, work for drinks packaging when infrastructure supports it (frustratingly looking at you here Scotland).
ecoSPIRITS, which enables bulk distribution of spirits in reusable ecoTOTES, presents an opportunity for high-volume hospitality venues to cut single-use glass waste. Standardisation of bottle shapes, as seen in wine and beer industries, would facilitate wider reuse schemes by making collection, washing, and refilling more efficient. Policymakers could incentivise reuse through tax reductions or financial credits for businesses investing in these systems.
Aluminium cans, widely used for soft drinks and beer, have a high recycling rate (again Switzerland leads the pack at over 90%), and lower transport emissions than glass, but bauxite mining for virgin aluminium extraction is environmentally destructive. Increasing the amount of recycled aluminium is crucial, as recycled aluminium uses 95% less energy than virgin material. There is some pioneering work being done here by Sustainaholics who are championing 100% Post Consumer Recycled aluminium offerings and revolutionising what 5cl minis look like in travel retail.
Industry players should also work towards closed-loop recycling, ensuring used cans and bottles become new cans and bottles rather than being downcycled into other products. We also need better technology to reduce contamination in recycling streams rather than placing most of the responsibility on the citizen in their homes or busy businesses.
Emerging alternatives, such as paper-based bottles and bio-based plastics, offer potential solutions but require further development. Paper bottles, which use an internal liner to contain liquid, need to ensure that the materials are easily separable for recycling. This is something that Frugalpac have addressed with their bottle design and are continuing to innovate towards less impactful solutions.
Bio-based plastics, derived from renewable sources, could reduce reliance on fossil fuels, but their toxicity and end-of-life treatment remains a concern, as many are not compatible with existing recycling systems. Another factor with bioplastics is the materials they’re made from. They’re no better if we’re cutting down native forests to plant monocrop crops, so we must ensure they’re made from food and industrial waste. So full compostable bioplastics made from waste could be a good solution to reduce the impact of fossil fuel based plastic, as we have to be honest, despite the enormous problems with plastic, it’s not going to disappear overnight.
Another issue in spirits packaging, tho rarely discussed, is the overuse of bespoke bottle designs, which complicates recycling and reuse efforts. Unlike beer and wine, where more standardisation of bottles facilitate easier recycling and reuse, spirits brands prioritise aesthetics over sustainability. Most start up spirits founders are itching to move away from an ‘off the shelf’ bottle to a bespoke one as soon as money allows. Reducing excessive weight, avoiding unnecessary decorative elements, and using widely accepted glass shapes would improve circularity. Brands can maintain premium appeal through labelling and branding choices rather than excessive glass use.
External packaging, such as cardboard boxes, plastic seals, and excessive secondary packaging, should also be minimised. While we’ll always need boxers to transport bottles, why should they be disposable? We used to ship bottles around the world in reusable wooden crates and until December 2024 Coca-Cola utilised reusable plastic crates to transport bottles in regions with established refilling systems (Thanks for putting an end to that Donald). The industry must prioritise FSC-certified recycled cardboard, compostable alternatives, reusable crates (a great use case for recycled plastic) and designs that eliminate unnecessary packaging layers. Innovative packaging products like Flexi-Hex that combine compostable, plastic free packaging with beautiful aesthetics show that great design has to be part of the solution.
A regulatory framework encouraging minimal packaging—similar to bans on plastic straws and single-use cutlery—would drive further improvements.
With regulatory pressures increasing, the cost of inaction will only rise. The UK’s EPR scheme shifts the financial burden of waste management to producers, meaning brands that fail to adopt sustainable packaging will face higher costs. Deposit Return Schemes (Bottle Bills if you’re American) will improve recycling rates, but businesses must prepare for the logistical and financial implications. Planning ahead, whether by engaging in reuse pilots, redesigning packaging for recyclability, or lobbying for industry-wide sustainability incentives, will ensure compliance while reducing long-term costs.
Ultimately, the future of drinks packaging requires a multi-pronged approach: increasing recycling (be more Switzerland) as well as recycled content, developing reuse models, reducing material use, and ensuring all packaging is compatible with existing waste management infrastructure.
Brands that proactively implement these changes will not only comply with upcoming regulations but also future-proof their operations against rising material costs and shifting citizen expectations. The transition is complex, but with clear strategies and coordinated efforts, the drinks industry can significantly reduce its environmental impact while maintaining product integrity and market competitiveness.
