The lnew lighter weight bottles will reduce the winery’s glass packaging in the UK by 192 tonnes leading to an annual reduction in carbon footprint of 144 tonnes.

Currently. glass making  makes up the heaviest component of wine packaging waste, so this is seen as a hugely postive eco-more ffor the company in response to growing global environmental concerns within the wine industry, on top of mounting pressure from consumers and retailers alike.

Gail Gilbert, European Sales and Marketing Manager for Brown Brothers, says: “‘Going green’ does not have to mean compromising on quality, as our new light weight packaging demonstrates.

These three best-selling wines are the first to move to the lighter packaging; however, ultimately we are looking to do this for our entire portfolio of wines in the UK, as we forge ahead with our environmental responsibilities.”

The initiative has witnessed a scaling down of the weight of the original bottle without compromising on its height; a key indicator to consumers of the wine’s quality. Instead, the excess weight is trimmed from the walls of the bottle with the original bottle’s diameter decreasing by 2mm. The overall weight of each bottle will drop from 1.24kg to 1.11kg, a reduction of over 10%.

Nicola Jenkin, Drinks specialist, WRAP (Waste & Resource Action Programme) says: “These impressive achievements by Brown Brothers show the business’ commitment to tackling climate change.

“The reductions per bottle are significant, and go beyond small incremental changes, which serves to illustrate what is possible and how the wine sector can continue to contribute to reducing the environmental impact of its packaging.”

The new light weight bottle will be introduced from October 2010 on Brown Brothers Chenin Blanc and Dry Muscat, followed by Tarrango in 2011.