Waitrose has announced plans to move small wine formats from bottles into cans. Beginning in January, the majority of small wine formats (apart from Champagne. Prosecco and Cava, and Rioja, due to appellation restrictions) will be moved from glass bottles to aluminium cans as part of our ambition to reduce our carbon footprint.

Barry Dick, MW, Beer, Wine and Spirit Bulk Sourcing Manager at Waitrose comments: “We’re delighted to pioneer this move and make reducing waste even easier for our customers. Aluminum cans weigh significantly less than glass and create less than half the amount of CO2 than the equivalent single-use glass bottle, cans can also be recycled an infinite number of times.

“We know that more people are buying their drinks in canned formats from cocktails on the go to craft beer which is why making this shift in our wine category makes so much sense. Picking up a can of wine is a great way to enjoy wine in moderation, especially if you’re heading to a picnic or a social occasion, it also enables customers to try a new variety without worrying about wastage or cost. We hope the move will encourage suppliers to continue to develop a diverse and exciting range of wines in cans.”

Last year, Waitrose customers purchased nearly 3m small bottles of wine across both still and sparkling categories. This move is a significant change for Waitrose as moving from small wine bottles to aluminum cans will save over 300 tonnes of glass packaging and showcases our commitment to reducing our collective carbon footprint.