Verallia has produced the world's lightest champagne bottle. The new 75 cl bottle, named Ecova 2, weighs just 800g compared to the previous 835g, according to the glass manufacturer. This reduction in weight will decrease the carbon footprint during production. “With 35 grams less, the Champenoise Ecova 2 reduces the carbon footprint by 4% during production compared to the previous model, without compromising on quality or consumer experience.
“This initiative perfectly demonstrates our expertise and Verallia's ambition to reinvent glass and support the decarbonization of the entire wine and champagne industry,” says Pierre-Henri Desportes, President of Verallia France.
The new model is the result of a four-year testing phase by Verallia France and Telmont. The champagne house assisted in simulating numerous batches of wine, bottling, pressure, cellar storage, disgorging, and transportation with the lighter bottle to test its durability and ensure quality standards.
The lighter bottle will initially be launched in a green color and gradually become available in other tones. Additionally, a half-liter bottle will be introduced, reducing its weight from 500 to 460g, which, according to Verallia, causes 8% less CO2 emissions. Ecova 2 is manufactured at the Oiry plant in Champagne, which produces 200m bottles per year.
Verallia promises to share its blueprint with other glass manufacturers and the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC) to further develop the bottle standard and assist the industry in decarbonization efforts.
Back in 1994, Verallia reduced the weight of the champagne bottle from 900 to 835g with the original Ecova model. Ecova was adopted as the standard bottle by the CIVC in 2010. At the end of 2023, Verallia introduced the world's lightest Bordeaux bottle, weighing 300g.