Pet Peeve?
SABMILLER discovered consumers in Eastern Europe were prepared to buy beer for home consumption in large, two litre plastic bottles – or polyethylene terephthalate (Pets). However, in public bars they were far more brand conscious, reverting to draught or bottles.
But wine drinkers are a different lot. Will they adapt to Pets? Even in the privacy of their homes? Backsberg thinks they might by launching an eco-friendly range under the label: Tread Lightly. The first initiative of its kind in South Africa, it looks like any other bottle of wine with a screw top – something else the purists struggle with – but when handled is considerably lighter than its glass compatriot.
Is this the future of the industry? Backsberg and retail partners Pick n Pay think it’s worth trying out. “The enjoyment of a great bottle of wine should never be at the cost of the environment,” says Backsberg proprietor Michael Back, who points out that the packaging and transport of wine aren’t only major components of the final cost but also have an environmental impact.
The real test is whether you’re greeted by your next dinner party host with a look of joy or disdain as you hand them your offering – wine in a plastic bottle. Regrettably, that will be the litmus test rather than the quality of the Sauvignon Blanc or Merlot inside, which for the traditional wine market may prove to be of secondary importance.
Backsberg is first in South Africa to use Pets, but the Aussies and the French have been doing so for some time. It’s an epidemic!
Pet Facts
- Carbon emissions from cradle to grave for a fresh-material Pet bottle are 53g. For a glass bottle with 50 % recycled material (SA averages around 32 %) over the same lifespan it is 89g.
- A 750ml Pet wine bottle weighs 50g against the average wine bottle, which can weigh anything from 450g – 650g. On a 12-bottle case of wine you save approximately 5kg of packaging – and your back.
- Bottle manufacturer Mondi says Pets give the wine a two-year shelf life. That means glass will remain the carrier of preference for more serious wines that require bottle maturation.
- The Pet bottle has been cleared as safe for food and beverage contact by health and regulatory agencies worldwide, including the US Food & Drug Administration, Health Canada and the European Union’s Food Safety Authority.
- South Africa’s Wine and Spirit Board has approved the use of Pets for wine bottles and local wines in such bottles will be allowed the South African Wine of Origin certification.
Story by Bruce Whitfield
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