The Coolest Thing We Saw at NPE on Day Two: A Fizzy First

Packaging wine in plastic bottles has been done before, but Italy’s SIPA SpA has added a new twist. Working with Bangkok, Thailand–based resin supplier Indorama Ventures, the blow molder developed the world’s first PET bottle for sparkling wine. It’s showing the product in booth S19096 at NPE2024 in Orlando, FL, this week. 

Designed to mimic the exact proportions of a traditional wine bottle, the fully recyclable, shatterproof La Spumante bottle weighs just 90 grams, or about 20% of a comparable glass bottle. The optimal weight allows up to 33% more bottles per truck, which helps to lower the product’s carbon footprint. 

It also can be run on filling lines designed for glass bottles, SIPA Communications Manager Martina Bottarel told PlasticsToday at the booth. The OxyClear barrier PET resin, the company said, delivers a shelf life for the wine of some 24 months.

The product also won a 2024 WorldStar Global Packaging Award from the World Packaging Organisation in the alcoholic beverages category. 

NPE2024 runs through May 10 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL.