Less than 5% of Diageo’s packaging uses plastic

After news Diageo was to package a limited edition run of Johnnie Walker whisky in plastic-free paper bottles, the company has revealed that it has already made significant progress in reducing its plastic use.

Ewan Andrew, Diageo’s president of global supply and procurement and chief sustainability officer, says he is “tremendously excited” about the bottle entirely made from paper developed initially for its best-selling Johnnie Walker scotch range.

He said yesterday that the bottle, announced last month, will be introduced first next year in the Johnnie Walker retail outlets such as Madrid and also be featured in the new one being built on Princes Street in Edinburgh.

“It will be a small start as we learn from it,” he said. “Less than 5% of our packaging uses plastic. The exciting thing is that we are looking at ways to be more sustainable with our packaging. Glass is a fantastically versatile product and we will continue to use it but this product is 90% less carbon in its footprint than glass and 30% less than plastic so it is an exciting new area, especially as consumers are becoming more and more savvy.”