Sustainable Wine Packaging

Swapping EVA for a recycled material and changing nothing else is the common mistake. Paper-based inserts have less rebound and lower surface precision, so the structure has to compensate with neck capture, base support, four-point contact and angled location. Get the structure right and the material gap matters much less.

Moulded Pulp: The Mature Paper Option

Moulded pulp is the most mature option for wine. It gives adequate shock absorption and load capacity, is recyclable, and requires tooling. For a transit box, that tooling pays off when you need consistent bottle positioning across a production run.

We use it where the bottle profile is fixed and order volumes support the tooling. The insert is formed to the bottle shape, so the neck and base sit in defined recesses rather than resting on a flat sheet.

Honeycomb and Multi-Layer Corrugated for Export

Honeycomb and multi-layer corrugated suit foldable and higher-volume export work at three plies or more. These structures give you a balance of stacking strength and weight, which matters when freight cost is part of the packaging decision.

They also fold flatter than moulded pulp, so they store and ship more efficiently before filling. We recommend them for shippers that need to hold bottles in place without a separate insert.

Paper-Based Composites: Limits and Fit

Paper-based composites suit lighter bottles and gift combinations, but they rebound less than EVA and need extra wrapping structure. We do not recommend them for champagne. The lower rebound means the bottle can shift more in transit unless the outer structure compensates.

If you are set on a paper composite, we will add neck capture and base support into the box design itself. That keeps the bottle from moving without relying on the insert alone.

Materials We Avoid in Wine Shipping

We do not recommend single-ply paper trays because they lack the load capacity for stacked wine bottles. Low-density recycled stock collapses under top load. Soft fibre wadding gives poor location, so the bottle can drift. Untreated materials without moisture resistance are a risk for sea freight.

These materials can look fine in a sample but fail once the box is stacked, vibrated or exposed to humidity. Our in-house checks include a 1.2 m drop test with the bottle loaded and stacking under 40 kg or more for 24 hours.

Premium Feel Without Plastic

Premium feel comes from texture, not plastic. Linen-finish stock, matt lamination, embossing and restrained foil read as more considered than a plastic tray. These finishes work on greyboard with specialty paper or on corrugated shippers where you want a retail-ready look.

We apply the same thinking to wine bags: kraft paper, washable kraft and felt give a natural hand feel that fits a sustainable positioning without adding weight or plastic.

Send your bottle dimensions or a sample and we will recommend a paper-based structure that holds the bottle at four points without relying on EVA. Get a Quote

Apply this to your bottle

Send the bottle sample or dimensions, quantity and target market. We reply with structure options and pricing.