ALDI launches own-brand paper wine bottles
The Cambalala South African Shiraz (£7.99, 75cl) and Cambalala South African Sauvignon Blanc (£7.99, 75cl) will be available to buy in the lightweight paper bottles from Monday, March 18.
Made from 94% recycled paperboard and lined with a food-grade pouch to contain the wine, the new bottles are fully recyclable and five times lighter than a standard glass bottle.
By replacing glass bottles with paper and stocking in stores nationwide, Aldi says it will generate a carbon footprint reduction ‘that is equivalent to driving around the planet 5.8 times’.
An added benefit is that the shatterproof bottles come as the UK enters summer picnic season, highlights the supermarket.
Julie Ashfield, Managing Director of Buying at ALDI UK, said “Shoppers are striving to become more sustainable in their everyday lives, looking for small ways to make a big difference for our planet.
"Our Buying Teams are continuously thinking of how we can evolve our ranges to offer greater value and greener choices. We are proud to be the first supermarket to launch an own-brand paper bottle, helping to drive sustainable change.”
ALDI has worked with UK-company Frugalpac on the bottles. Founded in 2014, the Ipswich-based company made its UK debut in 2020 and can be found with brands such as Cantina Goccia and When in Rome.
However, while more sustainable options are generally associated with being more expensive and thus found more commonly with higher-end brands, Frugalpac says the cost of its bottle is comparable to glass: opening up the opportunity to explore the private label sector.
A Frugal Bottle has a carbon footprint up to 84% lower than a glass bottle, and more than a third less than a bottle made from 100% recycled plastic, says the company.
Primarily made from paperboard, the paper bottle contains a liner pouch which can be separated for recycling.
More than 35 different drinks producers from around the world are now using the Frugal Bottle – primarily in wine and spirits – across 25 countries including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, North America, Canada, the UK, across Europe and South Africa.
Life Cycle Assessment
An independent Life Cycle Analysis carried out by Intertek in 2020 compared the Frugal Bottle to glass and PET. It looked the ‘cradle to grave’ life cycle of all bottles, including mineral extraction, manufacture, transportation, distribution, filling and recycling or incineration.
It found that:
- The Frugal Bottle has the lowest carbon footprint with 91.9g CO2e – 84% lower than a 440g imported glass bottle (558.2g CO2e) and 34% lower than a bottle made from 100% recycled plastic (138.6 g CO2e)
- The Frugal Bottle’s carbon footprint was four times less than a 345g lightweight glass bottle made in the UK (382g CO2e)
- The Frugal Bottle’s water footprint is ‘at least four times lower’ than a glass bottle. It takes 2.5 liters of water to make a lightweight 345g glass bottle made in the UK, compared to 0.6 liters to make a Frugal Bottle
