Raise a Glass to Sustainability: Innovative Drinks & Bottle Packaging Solutions

Bottle packaging

Packaging plays a crucial role in driving sales, which holds true for the diverse world of drinks. Whether we’re talking about beer or wine packaging, spirits, or non-alcoholic beverages, the market is brimming with innovative and captivating drink packaging designs. The reason is simple: how drinks packaging looks can shape consumers’ perceptions of the product and their overall drinking experience. Research has shown that over 72% of consumers believe how a product is presented and packaged greatly impacts their purchasing decision.

Even if you have crafted the most exquisite beverage on the market, it’s essential to ensure your drinks packaging design and branding reflect the quality of the products within to convince consumers to buy from you. 

Using sustainable bottle packaging can also give you an edge over the competition due to the growing number of customers prioritising environmentally-friendly choices. We’ll explore various ways to utilise drinks and alcohol packaging, including shelf-ready designs and gift boxes tailored for the eCommerce landscape.

Related: Local Packaging Partner for The Henley Distillery

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How Do You Package Your Own Drinks?

A well-thought-out drinks packaging design plays a vital role in ensuring the safe and appealing presentation of a wide range of drinks, including alcoholic beverages, soft drinks, and hot drinks like instant coffee and boxes of tea bags. Different considerations come into play when packaging these specific drinks for retail and eCommerce.\

Related: How to Pack Fragile Items for Shipping

Primary Packaging for Beverages

Whether sold in retail or online, your drinks packaging needs to capture consumer attention, ensure product quality, and provide a memorable experience. Primary packaging is the immediate packaging that comes into direct contact with the product. It’s the first layer of packaging which protects the product inside — ensuring its integrity, safety, and preservation. For beverages, primary packaging may include glass bottles, cans, plastic bottles or cartons:

Glass — Glass bottles are often used for beer and wine primary packaging. This provides a sturdy, protective barrier while showcasing the product’s colour and clarity. 

Metal — Metal is used for soft drinks and alcohol packaging like cans due to its durability, protection, sustainability, and design flexibility. It preserves product quality and cools beverages quickly. It’s also lightweight and easy to transport.

Plastic — Plastic is used for drink packaging because it’s light and offers versatility in design. Plastic can be manipulated into a range of shapes and sizes and sealed to prevent leakage. 

Paperboard/ Paper (cartons, sachets) — Hot drinks, including instant coffee and tea bags, are commonly packaged in boxes or individual sachets, ensuring product integrity and easy storage. Soft drinks can be found in various formats, such as cartons, designed for convenience and preserving freshness in drinks like juices. 

Secondary Packaging for Beverages

Secondary packaging for drinks refers to the outer packaging that holds and protects multiple units of individual drink containers. It serves as a means of grouping and organising separate primary packages for easier handling, transportation, and storage. 

Secondary packaging can take various forms, such as corrugated cardboard shipping boxes, carry pack bottle boxes, folding box board display boxes, postal boxes and mailers for products like subscription coffee capsules.

The primary purpose is to give structural support and protect beverages against damage during transit. Secondary packaging often incorporates essential branding elements and product information for marketing purposes. This type of packaging plays a crucial role in the supply chain, facilitating efficient distribution and enhancing the overall presentation of beverages while maintaining their quality until they reach the consumer.

Related: How Do I Package My Product for Shipping?

Food-Grade Packaging Accreditation 

Secondary packaging is another barrier between the product and the external environment, safeguarding it from contamination and deterioration. When you’re looking for your packaging supplier, ensure they’re BRCGS accredited. 

Packaging Supplies holds BRCGS certification, demonstrating our compliance with the British Reputation Compliance Global Standards. This certification covers various aspects of our operations, including food and non-food-grade packaging storage. We are also authorised to handle and store stationery items specifically intended for restaurant groups. Our expertise extends to contract packing, where we specialise in packaging individual ambient-stable food sachets into retail and wholesaler packs. 

Our certification assures our clients that we meet the highest standards in storage and packaging services across different sectors.

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Shelf-Ready Packaging for Drinks

Retailers use shelf-ready packaging to transport and showcase alcoholic beverages and drinks on store shelves. Also known as retail-ready packaging, it must be designed for quick and effortless reconfiguration by retailers to display products effectively. Shelf-ready packaging should be convenient for storage, easy to dismantle, and recyclable after use. By providing convenience to retailers, your products can be restocked promptly, ensuring continued visibility and availability.

Related: A Guide to Shelf-Ready Packaging: Boosting Sales for Retail Products

Choosing the Right Materials for Drinks Packaging 

There are a few factors to bear in mind when choosing the right materials for drinks packaging:

  • Accessibility — how easy is it for all your customers to access your products?
  • Durability — is the primary and secondary packaging resilient enough to protect your products? 
  • Packaging Design — is your packaging design compelling and consistent with your brand messaging? 
  • Sustainability — is your packaging easily disposable and kind to the environment to appeal to an eco-conscious audience? 

If you need some inspiration, we can help. Read on to discover some plastic-free packaging options for your alcoholic and soft drinks. 

Related: Accessible Packaging and What It Means for Your Customers

Custom Packaging for Beverages

Now, there are more opportunities than ever to choose drinks packaging to safeguard your products, prioritise sustainability and create eye-catching designs with custom packaging

Why is Custom Packaging So Important?

Custom packaging for drinks is highly beneficial for your drinks business. It allows you to create a unique brand identity, differentiate your products, and stand out in a competitive market. 

Customised packaging provides optimal protection during transportation and storage. It makes the consumer experience better by offering user-friendly features and communicating important information such as product details and sustainability initiatives. 

Numerous eco-friendly packaging for eCommerce and retail are available on the market today. Just take a look at these examples:

Shipping Boxes 

Our shipping boxes are built to withstand the test of time, offering unwavering strength, durability, and sustainability for all your drinks packaging needs. Choose from single-wall or double-wall corrugated designs, providing the utmost security and peace of mind when shipping your goods. These 0201-style cardboard shipping boxes are plastic-free, recyclable, biodegradable and compostable.

 

Custom-made Corrugated Boxes

Unlock the full potential of your packaging with tailor-made corrugated cardboard boxes. At Packaging Supplies, we can work with you to produce custom inserts, dividers or die-cut boxes with internal fittings to keep your bottles safe. Select from a wide range of design and printing options, allowing you to create stylish and sustainable packaging.

 

Shelf-Ready Packaging

Shelf-ready packaging boxes and point-of-sale display packaging are engineered for seamless and effortless integration onto display units in supermarkets and shops. 

Use your shelf-ready packaging as a powerful marketing tool to sell your drinks, providing an opportunity to engage with consumers and elevate the marketing impact of your product.

 

Postal Boxes & Mailers

If you’re sending out tea/coffee subscription boxes to your customers, eco-friendly self-seal boxes and mailers are the way to go. Our postal boxes and mailers are made from recycled materials, making them 100% recyclable. Our commitment to sustainability is reflected in our use of vegetable and water-based inks. When designing your subscription box, opt for our letterbox-sized mailing boxes, guaranteeing that your customers will receive your product even when they’re out.

Related: Packaging for Subscription Boxes: How to Make Your Designs Stylish and Sustainable

Luxury Rigid Box Packaging 

Need a touch of sophistication? Luxury rigid boxes can seriously impress your customers and give an exclusive feel to your drinks product. Suitable for high-end spirits like gin and whisky, Choose from our wide variety of printing services and design features to craft extraordinary packaging solutions, including clamshell boxes, slipcases, and presentation boxes. Our selection extends to paper coverings available in an array of vibrant colours and materials.

 

Looking for a budget-friendly custom solution? Look no further. Our branded eCommerce packs offer a cost-effective solution tailored for environmentally conscious retailers. Package and ship your products with ease using our recycled self-seal mailing boxes, complemented by high-quality printed sleeves that can be fully customised to reflect your brand’s identity.

We provide precisely sized boxes tailored to the number of products you’re shipping, minimising packaging waste and optimising shipping costs. Whether you’re distributing a pallet load to retailers or sending individual boxes to customers, our solutions are designed to meet your needs and streamline the process. Trust us to assist you in achieving efficient and cost-effective packaging solutions.

Discover our full range of additional services, from inventory management to fulfilment

Benefits of Eco-Friendly Packaging for Drinks

Going eco-friendly with your packaging can set you apart in a saturated market. With sustainability at the forefront of consumers’ minds, there are many reasons why choosing eco-friendly packaging is a good idea.  

  • Sustainability: By opting for eco-friendly packaging materials, such as biodegradable or compostable options, you can significantly reduce your environmental footprint. Help reduce pollution, conserve natural resources, and contribute to a healthier planet. 
  • Brand Differentiation: Eco-friendly drinks packaging allows you to differentiate yourself from competitors. It conveys a commitment to sustainability and resonates with environmentally conscious consumers, creating a unique selling point for the brand.
  • Cost Savings: Sustainable packaging can lead to long-term cost savings by using lightweight renewable resources and reducing transportation costs. Some eco-friendly materials are more affordable than traditional packaging options.
  • Consumer Appeal: With growing consumer awareness and preference for sustainable products, eco-friendly packaging can attract environmentally conscious customers. It demonstrates a brand’s commitment to sustainability, building reputation and trust among consumers for repeat purchases. 

Related: The Best Eco-friendly Packaging in the UK

Rebel Spirit Gift Boxes

Case Study: Golden Tide Rum 

The Tidal Rum approached us looking for luxury packaging to house their golden-aged spiced rum, Golden Tide. To be produced en-masse for P&O cruises and their own site, they needed large volumes of strong alcohol packaging with a premium, high-end feel. 

The Tidal Rum was founded in 2018 by Ben Clyde-Smith and Harry Coulthard. It’s The Tidal Rum’s mission to redefine rum as a spirit, elevating it to an exquisite liquor made using foraged sea botanicals from sea and shore. 

The Tidal Rum came up with their logo and design using our folding box board with a high-micron printing resolution. We realised their designs in packaging form, producing captivating packaging which represented the flavours and story of Golden Tide Rum. 

Tidal Rum

As children, Ben and Harry enjoyed exploring the beaches in Jersey and Scotland at low tide. Their design perfectly represents this brand story, with a nod to the natural coastal ingredients (Sea Spaghetti and Rock Samphire) infused inside. Even the name and logo “Golden Tide” cleverly encompasses the golden-aged process and the frequent times when the tide is low — as the sun disappears beneath the waves.

The Tidal Rum was delighted with the results, as were we, and we look forward to working with them on their future projects. 

Ordering Drinks Packaging with Us

We have extensive expertise in helping businesses nail their custom packaging solutions for drinks. Packaging Supplies can help you achieve optimal shipping and storage efficiency while meeting specific size requirements set by retailers. Our skilled in-house team excels at working with companies to create packaging that leave a lasting impression. 

To bring your vision to life, we utilise eco-friendly practices such as printing with water or vegetable-based inks. We offer a range of printing processes suitable for different production volumes, including cost-effective flexographic printing for a direct printing finish and the versatility of digital printing for personalised packaging pieces.

Plus, we take pride in being a carbon-neutral company. We actively offset all carbon emissions generated across our entire business operations, ensuring our commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility. Choose us for your drinks packaging needs and join us in making a positive impact on the planet.

Get a free, no-obligation design quote for custom packaging for your drinks products in just 48 hours.