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Client : Société des alcools du Québec

In market : 2022

Objectives of the initiative

With the objective to reduce the environmental footprint of its products and comply with the SAQ's lightweight glass requirement, Maison Georges Dubœuf has carried out a major redesign of Brouilly Major, renowned for its “iconic” keel-shaped bottle.

Reducing the product/packaging ratio, both for the bottle and the transport case, is the main objective of this ecodesign initiative.

Challenges

The decision to change the shape of the bottle initially was initially difficult for this family-run business, since it had been designed and created by founder Georges Dubœuf himself in the 1970s. Part of the company's brand image, Brouilly Major has been a benchmark in Beaujolais for many years, and its iconic bottle, an important differentiator for Maison Georges Dubœuf, made it easy for customers to identify the product.

The SAQ's requirement for lightweight glass bottles was a maximum weight of 420g for all 750 ml still wines in the regular and specialty product directories retailing for $30 or less.

The choice of a more classic Bourgogne bottle incorporating 80% recycled glass also necessitated a major change to the container production line.

Benefits

Ecodesign efforts for Brouilly Major have resulted in the overall optimization of the product's packaging and reduction of its environmental footprint. The weight of the bottle was reduced by 45%, and 80% recycled glass was incorporated.

The switch to a more traditional bottle shape also enabled secondary packaging to be optimized, with a 19% reduction in transport case volume and a 35% increase in the number of cases transported per pallet.

In a context of glass shortages, this approach has also reduced the company's dependence on certain suppliers and the costs associated with purchasing glass.

The load reduction associated with the reduction in the weight of Brouilly Major's packaging also has occupational health and safety benefits, as it contributes to reducing the risk of work-related accidents for the employees who handle these cases on a daily basis.

Optimization actions taken

This new bottle is made from 80% recycled glass, the label is made from recycled paper and the transport case is made from 100% recycled fibers.

The ecodesign project reduced the weight of the bottle by about 45% and the transport case by about 23%, resulting in an overall reduction in the packaging/product ratio of about 44%.

Total case weight (including 12 full units) was reduced by 4.4 kg and its volume has been optimized by 19%. These modifications also enabled us to carry 35% more cases per pallet, from 52 to 70.

After optimization

47% Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions

76% Increase in recycled content

44% Reduction in the packaging/product mass ratio