The wine market has faced a serious problem in recent years, as the cost and environmental impact of commonly used wine bottles has become unsustainable for producers. In this paper, we present a case study of one of the largest wineries in Hungary, with the aim of investigating sustainability factors related to packaging materials. The winery has provided us with data on three types of bottles (Burgundy Glass Bottle, Bordeaux Glass Bottle and Bordeaux polyethylene terephthalate (PET) Bottle), for which the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) related to production and the Co2e related to transport are calculated as part of Life Cycle Analysis (LCA). The maximum transport weight per truck is 23 501.70kg for Bordeaux PET bottle, 19 951.14 kg for Burgundy glass bottle and 22 290.18 kg for a Bordeaux glass bottle. In Hungary, a new law on packaging will come into force, whereby bottles will be subject to a deposit scheme. For this reason, eight scenarios were set up to calculate GHG emission. In the study, two types of raw material were investigated, glass and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and calculations were made with recycled and reused materials. As a result of the study, the cases with the lowest Carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions are those with the highest amounts of recycled and reused packaging materials. Among the scenarios presented, the one with the lowest emissions in terms of production and transport is the case where 70% Bordeaux Recycled Glass Bottle and 30% rPET are used (247 231.697 kgCO2e). This scenario has 64% less GHG emissions than the scenario where only glass is used. In the present study, we performed a cradle-to-gate analysis of wine packaging, which may be worth expanding in future research with additional input and output factors during the product life cycle. The research carried out in this study also lays the foundation for research on consumer behaviour related to alternative wine packaging.

Based on sustainability aspects, the wine industry is under increasing global pressure regarding the packaging of wine. This means that, in the case of everyday wines, instead of glass wine bottles, they should find an alternative option that has a less burdensome impact on the environment and is more accessible. To investigate this, a scenario analysis was carried out using data from a Hungarian winery to examine two possible scenarios. The winery provided the sales share of each packaging type for 2022. In the scenarios, the rates of packaging types were varied in terms of the degree of acceptance of alternative packaging in each country. After determining the packaging ratios, GHG (greenhouse gas emission) was calculated for one million bottles, which would make the first scenario a more sustainable approach, as emissions would be 16 % lower than the emission of 2022 sales volume. Overall, the greater uptake of alternative packaging results in lower emissions in terms of production.

Sustainability—the characteristic, property, and goal of every responsible, mature, rational, and environmentally sensitive organization—has gained undeniable and incredible traction in the wine industry over the last few decades, influencing wine-making procedures and packaging. Determined actors inside and outside the industry have identified key environmental concerns, such as energy efficiency or recycling, that support promoting a sustainable industry. To explore how sustainability is implemented in the wine sector, we, the authors of this paper, conducted a systematic literature review methodology. The PRISMA model served as our primary criteria for focusing the literature search and was utilized in its execution. Our study analyses thirty scholarly publications, which are categorized according to three primary themes: (1) Wineries and Sustainability; (2) Wineries and Cognitive Biases; and (3) Wineries and Sustainability and Cognitive Biases. The novelty of the study lies in its use of a systematic literature review (SLR) to investigate the complex interaction between wine, cognitive biases, and sustainability with a combined focus. The findings point to the understudied domain of consumers' cognitive biases regarding alternate wine packaging. Our results show that there is potential for improvement in the wine sector in terms of sustainable packaging and the consumer behavior of accepting or rejecting specific packaging options. These areas are considered worthy of future holistic approach investigation because alternative packaging is critical to making the industry more environmentally friendly. Still, if consumers cannot accept and purchase wine thus packaged, such raises further questions. Our study may be helpful to stakeholders in the wine sector as practitioners increasingly seek to incorporate and promote sustainable practices in their operations.

The wine sector is facing a major challenge in wine packaging. The environmental impact of packaging, one of the most CO2-emitting aspects of the wine industry, needs to be addressed. In this study, we investigate how open Hungarian consumers are to buying wine in non-traditional packaging. We showed images of several alternative packaging options to a sample of domestic consumers: 1) a domestic wine bag-in-box and 2) a pouch package and (3 & 4) their internationalized equivalents. We then presented participants with a questionnaire. The questionnaire asked about the following topics: Traditionality, Familiarity, Purchase Intention (PI), Product Appeal, Taste Expectations, and Uniqueness, with participant demographic questions also included. Cluster analysis was conducted for both Hungarian packaging (HP) and International wine packaging (IP) options, suggesting that different consumer groups have different attitudes toward alternative wine packaging options. Overall, consumers are slightly more accepting of Hungarian-packaged wines on average, but at the cluster level, if only those consumers most likely to accept (and purchase) alternative packaging are considered, acceptance is greater for IP wines. Generation Z wine consumers, who are self-reported to be knowledgeable about wine and have above-average incomes, were the most likely to accept international and Hungarian alternative packaging options. The innovators’ cluster group demonstrated the highest intention/willingness to purchase wine in alternative packaging of either the Hungarian or international sort. The mean value of Innovator IP is 4.84 for bag-in-box and 5.01 for pouches, making this group more accepting of pouches than bag-in-box packaging—an inversion of the preference of most other groups investigated. For both bag-in-box and pouch, the mean for the Innovator HP cluster is 5.17. For both Hungarian and international packaging options, it is clear that acceptance is lower for pouches (PI: 3.27; 3.47) than for bag-in-box (PI: 3.62; 3.88). We offer our results to decision-makers so that they may better understand the preferences of the Hungarian wine market and work to improve acceptance of non-traditional packaging options through consumer education and familiarization.

Sustainability concerns in the wine sector have resulted in alternative types of wine packaging to traditional glass packaging. This article examines the impact of cultural heritage and environmental awareness on consumer behaviour and purchasing decisions in relation to wine packaging. To investigate this, a wine tasting experiment was carried out on a sample of 211 people in the city of Pécs, in Hungary, to assess consumers’ perceptions, taste perceptions and purchase propensity for 7 types of wine packaging. In order to measure the effect of each type of packaging, the same wine was poured into the same types of packaging. The aim of the experiment was to identify consumers’ attitudes towards traditional packaging and their preferences for alternative options. The results were analysed using factor analysis to identify 2 factor groups for each pack, which were validated using Bartlett's Test and Chi-squared Test. The results show that packaging style and traditionality have a significant impact on consumer preferences, especially for alternatives such as bag-in-box or pouch, which are completely different from the traditional glass bottle. In the case of PET bottles, the packaging itself has a strong explanatory power, which may be explained by its similarity in form to the glass bottle. The novelty of this research lies in the fact that with the help of the we were able to measure the effect of different wine packaging, alongside the role of cultural traditions. Based on the results, it is proposed that wine industry stakeholders should raise consumer awareness of the benefits of environmentally friendly packaging alternatives and take measures to reduce the environmental impact of traditional glass bottles.