O-I has launched a lighter version of its 500ml standard (item 5091), reducing its weight from 300g to 280g, matching industry leaders such as Adnams. The 7% weight reduction will save around 1,000 tonnes of glass a year and deliver a reduction of approximately 700 tonnes CO2e to brewers and the UK environment. Having redeveloped its Harlow plant as a sustainable glass powerhouse for the beer industry, this move continues O-I’s drive for innovation which supports all aspects of the UK beer market, including the vibrant independent sector. The investment included a radical combination of a gas-oxy fired furnace and a cullet preheater which has caused a step change in the sustainability of glass packaging produced at the plant. In 2016, the plant’s CO2 emissions were reduced by nearly 30,000 tonnes. This was recognised by key environmental and industry experts in January, when O-I received the edie Sustainability Leaders award for carbon management. Better bottle design is crucial to continued sustainability gains and this lightweight standard bottle is available in amber and black glass. By adding a luxury black glass version of this popular standard, O-I is providing independent brewers with a chance to target more premium brand positioning. Such innovative products, which are available in quantities as low as one pallet, cater for growth which has seen the number of UK breweries increase to over 1700 in 2016. Scott Gibb, commercial director for O-I UK, said, “Craft beer, micro and independent brewers demand the best from their packaging. This development extends the flexibility of our offering to independent brewers, enabling them to make the most of what glass offers in terms of taste preservation, sustainability and brand-desirability.” 30 BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS BrewDog-backed distillery LoneWolf has chosen a Beatson Clark bottle originally intended for pharmaceutical products for its new craft gin. The Scottish distillery, backed by craft beer pioneers BrewDog, launched its first spirits into the industry last year with its V1 and V2 prototypes. In January 2017 it launched its V3 prototype gin which has an eye-catching look thanks to the new white flint bottle. Beatson Clark’s 500ml Sloping Shoulder Flat bottle was designed for medicines, but its elegant lines and unusual shape help to emphasise the revolutionary nature of LoneWolf’s boundary-pushing product. It’s not the first time a customer has found a novel use for an existing Beatson Clark container: last year London Rd Jam Jar Cocktails started selling its range of ready-to-serve premium cocktails in Beatson Clark’s 300ml glass food jar. “We love it when customers give our glass bottles and jars a creative twist,” said Beatson Clark marketing manager Charlotte Taylor. “With LoneWolf BrewDog have gone one step further and put a craft spirit in a pharmaceutical bottle, and we think the final effect looks great! “BrewDog is a long-standing customer of ours and we’re pleased to have supplied two bottles for the company in recent months – a 375ml embossed champagne-style bottle for its Abstrakt range of occasional brews and a miniature 100ml bottle for its Hop Shot beer. It’s great that this partnership has now been extended to its sister company, LoneWolf Spirits, with this pharma bottle.” Beatson Clark holds a wide range of shapes and sizes of pharmaceutical glass bottles and jars. Most can be produced in either white flint or amber glass and several are available from stock. They are perfect for craft gins, evoking a vintage feel and image. Pharma bottle gives gin ‘craft’ appeal O-I introduces lighter glass standard in amber and black o-i.com For more information visit: www.beatsonclark.co.uk For more information visit: News SMALLPACK CONTAINERS 30_Layout 1 16/05/2017 14:11 Page 1