Opinion
Packaging ‘green wash’
David Workman, Director General of British Glass, responds to the recycling claims of Arniston Bay’s Tetra Pak wine cartons.
The news article [[’Arniston Bay wine launched in 1 litre Tetra Pak’][1]] announcing the launch of a range of Arniston Bay wines packed into Tetra Pak contains so much “green wash” that it’s almost laughable. No sensible consumer is going to be taken in.
What, for instance, does the term “recyclable” actually mean? Almost anything is potentially recyclable. Glass is actually recycled – up to 90% recycled content in most green wine bottles, and can be recycled over and over again.
What evidence exists to verify the claim that the carton is 80% more environmentally friendly than glass? As there has yet to be a full cradle-to-cradle life-cycle assessment undertaken for glass, the figure quoted can only be regarded as wishful thinking.
Is it also right that brand owners and retailers should introduce a packaging format associated with the juvenile market at a time when underage consumption of alcohol is such a social issue?
The closest that Arniston Bay gets to matching the quality, feel and inertness of glass is the use of glass bottles in the graphics on the carton. It will never be able to replicate the real deal for wine packs – glass bottles themselves.
David Workman has a history in the glass industry spanning more than 30 years. He has worked in a variety of senior sales and marketing roles within the UK’s leading glass container manufacturers. He was appointed as Director General of British Glass in 2001.
[1]: /articleDetail.aspx?contentId=1647
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