Altia's new production line enables the production of fully recyclable bag-in-box packaging

The bag-in-box is the primary format of wine packaging in Altia's production. According to research conducted by Alko, Finland’s alcoholic beverage retailing monopoly, it is a clear winner in terms of carbon footprint. So far, the recycling of bag-in-box packages has, however, left room for improvement.

With this in mind, Altia has made its new 3-litre bag-in-box container fully recyclable. In addition, it is made by using more FSC-responsible material sources and recycled materials. The FSC responsibility means that the processes of forestry, raw material management and processing underlying the product are carried out with respect for the nature and environmental values.The key sustainability measure is abandoning the use of black plastic and metalling or aluminium in packages.

“The handle of the bag-in-box container – that important piece of plastic used to take the container with you – will be colourless from now on. This is a big deal, because the current recycling technology doesn't recognise black plastic. In the future, you can recognise Altia's bag-in-box containers from the colourless handle”, says Altia's Packaging Development Manager Juha Ylisiurua.

The use of colours in the bag and tap has also been optimised: the valve of the tap is red, but other elements are colourless. Thanks to this packaging development, the amount of colours used in the packaging has been reduced by nearly 75%. The bags used in Altia's wine containers do not include metalling, aluminium or nylon, which means that both the tap and bag can be disposed of as plastic waste. To recycle the bag, detach the tap and rinse the bag with cool water before putting it to the plastic recycling bin.

Altia's current bag-in-box wine packages already contain 40% of recycled material. The company's goal is to increase the amount of recycling-based material to 50% by the year 2025.

“We are pioneers in the bag-in-box packaging of wines, and our new packaging technology is energy efficient. Now that we have improved the recyclability of bag-in-box containers and are able to inspire consumers to recycle their packages even more actively, this will be a superior solution for basic household wines,” says Ylisiurua, summing up the plans.

Altia's new bag-in-box containers as well as the new rPET wine bottles made entirely from recycled plastic material can be recognised from the green responsibility labels. Further information on Altia’s website.