Two Swiss Packaging Awards for Mohren Brewery's lightweight glass bottle

Vorarlberg's beer market leader Mohrenbräu and Swiss packaging manufacturer Vetropack are delighted to have won two awards at the Swiss Packaging Awards. The two development partners were awarded the renowned industry prize in the "Technology" category and the jury's special prize for the resource-saving returnable lightweight glass bottle "Echovai". Mohrenbräu is a global pioneer in the use of the innovative containers and saves 306 tonnes of CO2 annually with the thermally tempered lightweight glass bottle.

"With Echovai, the returnable bottle has arrived in the 21st century," found the expert jury of the Swiss Packaging Awards at the award ceremony on 1 June 2023. The world's first bottle made of thermally tempered lightweight glass was honoured as a "milestone in the art of engineering" in the "Technology" category and was awarded the jury's special prize as a "gamechanger in packaging glass production". There was also a nomination in the "Sustainability" category. As the exclusive pilot and development partner of the packaging company Vetropack, Mohrenbräu has been using the light, robust and environmentally friendly 0.33-litre returnable bottle for four years. The container has also been available for other manufacturers since autumn 2022.

"Returnable and lightweight glass are central to the climate-friendly future of the beer industry. Vetropack has developed the perfect solution and we have realised its full potential as pioneers in the market," Mohrenbrauerei Managing Director Thomas Pachole is pleased about the recognition. The traditional brewery has been gaining valuable experience in using the lightweight glass bottles as a development partner since 2019. They cause 75 per cent fewer emissions than conventional 0.33-litre returnable glass bottles. This saves the Mohren Brewery 306 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually. Added to this is the longer service life. "After almost four years and up to twelve rotations, the Echovai bottles are still as good as new, unlike standard bottles. We therefore expect significantly more circulation cycles," reports Daniel Egger, Head of Innovation at Vetropack.

Pioneering work for market revolution
The 0.33-litre bottles are convincing both ecologically and economically. In addition to "Pfiff" and the Radler varieties, the Mohren Brewery has also been bottling "Spezial", by far the most popular beer in Vorarlberg, in the innovative returnable solution since March 2022. "The crates for the lightweight glass bottles are almost two kilograms lighter, more resilient and can be used more often. In addition, the beer cools faster in the thin-walled bottle," Pachole explains. He sees the lightweight glass bottle as an enormous opportunity for the beer market and for climate protection.

Resource-saving business practices have a long tradition at the Mohren Brewery. For decades, the family business has been committed to environmentally friendly, energy-saving and appreciative working and production conditions. The brewery's commitment ranges from the use of renewable energies and its own PV system to state-of-the-art machinery and equipment, reusable containers and lightweight glass bottles to e-mobility and energy-efficient dispensing technology for gastronomy customers.