Sainsbury’s debuts lightweight glass Estrella Galicia beer design in carbon footprint cut

21 Dec 2021 --- Estrella Galicia’s Cerveza Especial beer brand is launching a new glass bottle design in over 300 Sainsbury’s stores across the UK, which is estimated to cut the brand’s carbon footprint by almost 10,000 metric tons annually.

The beverage bottles will also showcase a fresh visual brand identity, highlighting environmentally sustainable features, including Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified paper labels and entirely recyclable cardboard packaging. The cardboard packaging will also be created from waste generated in the brewery.

The beer company’s new design includes a 12% reduction in glass content. Reducing glass usage is critical to improving industry environmental sustainability credentials. A 2019 study on life cycle assessment databases found that despite glass’ high recycling rates, glass beverage bottles have a higher environmental impact than plastic ones.

Sainsbury’s Estrella Galicia listing will showcase the beer packaging through 4x330ml packs and 660ml bottles of Cerveza Lager.

The new design features a 12% reduction in glass content.Returning to design roots
Estrella Galicia’s new visual brand identity is based on the revamping of the current brand image and a return to the original star design used for its very first label, says the company.

“Estrella Galicia seeks to stand out and surprise consumers, as well as consolidating its artisanal character - a key factor in its resistance against the standardisation of beer.”

“Our modernised look and feel will give better shelf standout and we’ve created a more cohesive brand identity for the consumer, increasing our brand awareness and easing the consumer journey to purchase,” highlights Johnson.

Recently, PackagingInsights explored the latest trends in beer pack designs with industry experts, finding the most “disruptive” brands combine aesthetic design with eco-friendly labeling claims.

Other alcoholic beverage companies like Diageo, for example, are improving products through glass lightweighting, while seeking to retain 100% strength and shape in its bottles.

Related developments
The move comes as Sainsbury’s is making strides toward improving its environmental footprint. This year, the supermarket stressed the necessity of flexible plastic collection points by providing collection systems for polypropylene packaging in all of its UK stores.

Last year, the retailer pledged to halve its use of plastic packaging by 2025 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2040, committing to investing £1 billion (US$1.3 billion) into plastic reduction designs for its packaging.

Meanwhile, the 2018 UK Plastics Pact aimed to eradicate single-use plastic waste from the supply chain and was signed by more than 40 major players in the food and non-food industry. UK retailers, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Waitrose, are supporting the pledge.

By Natalie Schwertheim

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