Stellenbosch Vineyards uncorks South Africa’s first eco-flat wine bottle

SOUTH AFRICA – Stellenbosch Vineyards has launched South Africa’s first Eco-Flat Wine Bottle in collaboration with Polyoak Packaging, global innovator Packamama, and polymer producer Safripol, introducing a lightweight, 100 percent recyclable alternative to traditional glass.

The 750ml bottle, manufactured locally in Cape Town by Polypet, weighs just 63 grams, up to 80 percent lighter than the average glass bottle, while maintaining wine quality and shelf life through integrated oxygen barrier technology.

Made from over 25 percent recycled PET (rPET) supplied by Safripol, the shatterproof design delivers a lower carbon footprint without compromising performance.

Designed for Efficiency and Shelf Appeal

The distinctive flat shape gives the bottle a larger front-facing visual footprint than traditional round bottles, helping brands stand out more prominently on retail shelves.

The design allows twice as many bottles to fit per shelf, improving space utilisation while accommodating familiar screw-top closures.

Logistics efficiencies are equally impressive.

The format is 40 percent more space-efficient per pallet than glass, with 1,200 bottles fitting on a UK pallet compared to 720 glass bottles. Twelve 750ml bottles fit in a case versus six glass bottles, unlocking significant transport savings and emissions reductions.

Sustainable Materials, Circular Design

Packamama’s patented flat-bottle technology incorporates Safripol’s Aspire® 25 recycled PET, supporting the producer’s “Let’s Plastic Responsibly” campaign promoting circular economy principles.

The bottle and closure are fully recyclable through standard kerbside collections, with the material stack engineered to protect wine for approximately two years.

Available in dead leaf green and colourless formats, the bottles can be paired with various closure colours, offering flexibility for different wine styles and brand preferences.

The design meets both EU and U.S. FDA food-contact safety standards while remaining BPA- and odour-free.

Market Opportunities and Consumer Appeal

For South African wine producers, this innovation unlocks incremental export opportunities.

The format is already outselling glass in Europe, and local research shows 70 percent of South African millennials and female consumers are likely to purchase wine in this format.

The compact, robust design makes it ideal for airlines, bottles fit snugly into in-flight trolleys, and for outdoor events, picnics, and festivals where glass is often banned due to safety concerns.

E-commerce retailers benefit from shatterproof packaging that simplifies online delivery.

Scaling Local Production

Packamama has already manufactured a six-figure volume of bottles in Cape Town, demonstrating consistent, high-quality output and readiness to scale.

The partnership keeps manufacturing and bottling jobs local, ensuring value remains within South Africa’s packaging ecosystem rather than being exported.

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