PLOGOFF, France — Europe’s famed wine and spirits makers have spent years turning their bottles into cultural icons. But a new EU anti-waste law could send those intricate designs straight to the recycling bin.
For premium brands and craft distillers alike, the look and feel of a glass bottle counts nearly as much as the elixir within: It’s a visual translation of the story behind the drink.
Think of Tanqueray London Dry Gin’s gleaming emerald glass, compared to the straight-shooting, saloon-style Jack Daniel’s whisky bottle.
French glassmaking company Saverglass has been making the iconic Grey Goose vodka bottles for 20 years, a sleek design with frosted glass. “Everyone recognizes the shape of the goose, the satin bottle, the decorations,” said Emmanuel Ladent, the company’s president.
Now, iconic designs like this one are colliding with Brussels’ ambition to slash the packaging waste filling Europe’s bins. From 2030, EU law will compel companies to use as little material as possible when packaging products. Marketing alone does not justify the use of excess packaging, the EU insists.
Glass manufacturers warn that, if applied too literally, the rules could push the bloc toward Orwellian levels of uniformity in the wine, spirits and even perfume sectors, damaging competitiveness. They complain that excessive regulation will plague an industry that thrives on brand creativity and already faces hefty decarbonization costs.
“Tomorrow, if everyone has the same bottle, the story of Grey Goose vodka won’t exist anymore,” said Ladent.
Made in Brittany
It’s not just the icons that will be affected.
Brittany’s craft distillery scene in northwest France is a far cry from Brussels’ regulatory machine, but even artisanal liquor vendors will have to comply with EU restrictions on packaging use — which put the use of ornate glass bottles at risk.
“I think it’s important that people come directly to the producer as much as possible so they can see how we work and especially be able to smell and taste [the products],” said Etienne Jacques, a craft distiller at the Moby Dick distillery in the coastal Breton town of Plogoff.
But presentation counts for something, too. At Moby Dick, the liquor is neatly packaged in heavy, clear glass bottles, decorated with art deco labels and stoppered with a wooden cap with a whale stamp. The bottles are then sold in local shops and bars.
“We chose a sturdy bottle so that people won’t feel like throwing it away,” said Jacques. He buys back bottles from clients for a euro if they return them to the distillery for reuse.
Europe’s glass container industry employs around 50,000 people and contributed about 6.5 billion to the EU economy in 2022, according to a report from the European Container Glass Federation (FEVE). “It’s about making sure that we preserve this right to produce and remain competitive,” said the group’s secretary general, Carlo Pirrone.
“If you think of Amaretto Disaronno, Amaretto Disaronno is the bottle,” he added, referring to the brand’s distinctive hammered glass bottle, topped with a black and gold stopper. “If you take Aperol Spritz… Chanel N°5, a Corona beer, whatever you want… Glass is the product.”
But the EU is eager to reduce the mountain of packaging waste it generates every year. In 2023, Europeans produced just under 80 million tons of packaging waste, or roughly 177 kilograms each.
That’s why the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, passed in 2024, requires companies to reduce the amount of packaging they use and make it recyclable. From 2030, companies will have to use the least amount of packaging necessary to transport and sell their products to European customers safely. That applies to all types of packaging materials.
Crucially, it stipulates that marketing and product design do not justify using excess packaging.
That requirement “will help reduce unnecessary weight and volume of packaging, while ensuring that packaging continues to fulfill its intended function,” said a spokesperson for the European Commission.
Glass as art
Glassmakers say the so-called minimization requirement amounts to destroying craftsmanship in the sector, because brands will be pushed toward using near-identical bottle designs to minimize volume. Glassmakers supplying perfume houses have similar concerns to the spirits sector and warn that excessive uniformity will push brands to buy cheaper glass bottles made elsewhere.
“A bottle cannot be considered only as a means to hold and protect the perfume. It triggers the purchase decision for the consumer, it highlights the product, it projects a brand identity for our clients,” explained Nicolas Piffault, corporate social responsibility director at the Groupe Pochet, who makes perfume bottles for major names like the LVMH-owned Dior, Chanel and L’Oréal.
“If we all use the same bottle, exactly identical, there are people outside Europe who will do it much faster and much cheaper than us,” he said.
The regulation does already include carve-outs for certain products. Brands won’t have to change their designs if they were protected by a trademark in the EU before the law came into force and if they can show that changing the bottle would damage its distinctiveness. That should protect Grey Goose’s frosty bottle or Coca-Cola’s iconic hourglass design.
Likewise, if a product is protected by its distinct geographical origin — like Irish Whisky or French Champagne — their producers are safe.
But glassmakers say those carveouts won’t work for smaller producers who don’t own trademarks, or for brands regularly pumping out new products, like perfume companies.
“It’s undercutting innovation in packaging, packaging design… because what if you come up with a new iconic design?” said FEVE’s Pirrone.
The Commission is meant to establish a standard that can then be used by companies to prove their packaging is as small and light as the regulation requires. Companies want a say in this process to ensure the minimization rule isn’t applied too strictly.
Brussels, it seems, is already listening. Last June the Commission issued additional guidance on how to interpret the law, acknowledging that design is a part of the function of the packaging. Packaging shape and functionality will be “duly taken into account,” and industry groups will be able to contribute to developing the new standards, the document reads.
“We support and encourage creativity, expect innovations across the sector, and continue to work closely with stakeholders on the existing minimization standard,” the Commission spokesperson said.
Back at the Moby Dick Distillery in Plogoff, Jacques said limiting the weight and volume of his packaging for environmental reasons wouldn’t be so bad. “That can be part of the game considering the context we’re living in and the ecological needs we have, I would even find that rather healthy,” he added.
What truly matters, he said, is taste and smell.
