Sutter
Home Winery, the number one producer of single-serving 187mL wines, is
now using PET bottles from Ball Corporation for all 187mL wine bottles
sold throughout the U.S.
The
bottles feature Plasmax, a transparent, internal silicon oxide (SiOx)
barrier coating technology that protects the wine inside the bottle
and, unlike some competing barriers, provides exceptional clarity and
does not contaminate the PET recycling stream because it is easily
removed during the recycling process.
Wendy
Nyberg, senior director of marketing for Sutter Home, said, "The
plastic bottles weigh only one sixth what the glass bottles weigh and
they're much smaller, so consumers get the same amount of wine in a
smaller, unbreakable, less wasteful and recyclable bottle."
Sutter
Home began using Ball's custom-designed PET wine bottles in select
markets in 2005 and has gradually increased distribution since then.
The bottles preserve the look of the original glass container and run
on the winery's existing filling lines. Sutter Home has been pleased
with consumer acceptance of the plastic wine bottles as well as the
entree they provide into venues that do not allow glass because of the
potential for breakage.
Nyberg
said, "Producing the PET bottles generates 60% fewer greenhouse gasses
than producing the glass bottles, plus the smaller PET bottles allow
us to use less fuel and gain supply chain efficiencies because we get
more bottles on a pallet and on a truck."
Ball
Corporation is a supplier of high-quality metal and plastic packaging
for beverage, food and household products customers, and of aerospace
and other technologies and services, primarily for the U.S.
government. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries employ more than
14,000 people worldwide and reported 2008 sales of approximately $7.6
billion.
For more
information, visit
www.ball.com.