i read an article about tetra paks in the june issue of fast company. it discussed the innovative french winery, french rabbit, and how their choice to move away from glass wine bottles led them to tetra paks and illustrated why that was a brilliant business and sustainability decision. a tetra pak consists of aluminum-coated paperboard and can be made in many shapes and sizes. its flexible and lightweight and in regards to wine, it's superior to glass because it protects wine from oxidation and allows wine to chill more quickly due to its thinner walls. i didn't realize just how environmentally friendly tetra paks were. check out these facts...
a glass bottle is 40% of the total weight of a wine. tetra pak is 4%
it requires 3 times as many trucks to ship the same amount of wine in bottles than it does in tetra paks
the one-liter carton gives consumers 33% more wine than a bottle
once emptied, 72 flattened cartons can fit in a standard home recycling bin, compared with 16 bottles
approximately 70 wineries are following french rabbit's lead by offering their wine in tetra paks. the tetra paks are usually offered in addition to bottled wine so the consumer still has a choice.
the french rabbit winery has also earned some fantastic publicity through their first annual fashion and art competition with students at the academy of art university. each piece was made entirely of french rabbit packaging. check out photos from the show here.
