Vetropack wins Austrian State Prize for Europe's lightest Rhinewine bottle

02.10.2026: Vetropack Group, one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of glass packaging, has been awarded the 2026 Austrian State Prize for Smart Packaging in the B2C category for its new 0.75-litre Rhinewine bottle. Weighing just 350 grams, it is currently the lightest Rhinewine bottle in Europe. Compared with the conventional version, Vetropack has reduced the amount of glass used by 60 grams or roughly 15 percent. The State Prize was presented on 1 October 2026, as part of the Austrian Packaging Day in Vienna.

The Austrian State Prize for Smart Packaging recognises the development of a proven bottle design that has been specifically optimised to reduce resource consumption. The jury’s statement reads: “The weight reduction results in impressive reductions in CO₂ emissions. The lighter weight is immediately noticeable when picking up the bottle. Existing filling processes and the established bottle design are retained.” The Rhinewine bottle particularly impressed the jury with its environmental benefits and its consistent focus on the practical requirements of the wine industry.

Less material, same design

For the new 0.75-litre Rhinewine bottle, Vetropack has reduced the weight from 410 to 350 grams. “The State Prize confirms our approach of systematically improving established glass packaging designs. With the Rhinewine bottle, we have significantly reduced material usage while continuing to meet requirements for stability, filling, and quality. This enables us to conserve resources and reduce weight without compromising the familiar bottle shape,” says Harald Geist, Vetropack Austria.

The market launch was preceded by an intensive development and testing phase to ensure the required stability while reducing material usage. In April 2026, the bottle was launched in the colours Olive and Cuvée. The lightweight glass bottle is manufactured at the Vetropack plant in Pöchlarn, Austria. With its recycled glass content of approximately 80 percent, it provides an additional contribution to resource efficiency.

Resource efficiency and innovation throughout the supply chain

The bottle’s light weight also reduces transport-related emissions: over a distance of 100 kilometres, the new Rhinewine bottle generates around 13 percent fewer transport-related CO₂ emissions than the conventional version. Thus, the reduction in weight helps improve the environmental footprint particularly when transporting large quantities.

Vetropack is also addressing the requirements of the supply chain with other developments – which is why the Rhinewine bottle is not the company’s only packaging innovation to receive recognition: Vetropack’s solution for serialising returnable bottles using Data Matrix codes was nominated for both the Swiss Packaging Award 2026 and the Austrian State Prize for Smart Packaging in the “Packaging of the Future” category. A permanently applied code gives each bottle a digital identity and makes it possible to collect data on use cycles and quality. This allows returnable bottle cycles to be managed more transparently and efficiently.

These innovations demonstrate how Vetropack is driving glass packaging solutions for the beverage industry – from more efficient use of materials to improved management of returnable packaging cycles. The focus is on solutions that combine environmental benefits with the practical requirements of the entire value chain.