Alternative wine packaging, such as bag-in-box, gaining popularity in U.S., but slower to catch on in Canada, says Nielsen study; studies find glass bottles still preferred

Lorena Madrigal

LOS ANGELES , June 16, 2011 (Forestweb) – Alternative wine packaging in the U.S. has been showing gains, but it’s finding a tough market in Canada, according to a Nielsen study that found glass bottles are still preferred despite environmental concerns, The Vancouver Sun reported June 10.

The U.S. has had an 18% increase in sales of 3-liter bag-in-box wines but Canada is slower to transition to non-glass bottle packaging; British Columbia has only barely begun to offer wine in Tetra Pak cartons.

Tetra Pak cartons also could end up in landfills in British Columbia because there isn’t a local facility that can handle the recycling of these packages, the newspaper reported.

According to a 2009 Owens-Illinois study, 86% of consumers prefer the traditional glass bottle packaging and 73% would never purchase wine in another container, the Vancouver Sun reported.

Todd Ziegenfus of California’s Underdog Wine Merchants says packaging is less of an issue with casual drinkers, and Generation Y is looking for affordable quality wine in a unique package.

And while bag-in-box packaging takes up 85% less landfill space than traditional bottles and boasts a 55% smaller carbon footprint, sustainable packaging is not among the top 10 criteria for wine purchasing, studies found.

The primary source of this article is The Vancouver Sun, Vancouver, B.C., on June 10, 2011.

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