Bottles & Accessories

You can obtain sample bottles at bottle retailers. You can request technical drawings here.

The bottles

Why olive green?

Olive green is the most common bottle color in the wine industry and is resistant to discoloration caused by repeated washing. A white rosé bottle is not currently planned for economic reasons due to the additional sorting effort it would require.

Durable and suitable for use in bottle return machines

Reusable bottles are slightly heavier than single-use bottles. Reinforced walls and necks allow for at least 12 cycles. The slightly increased bottle height also makes them easier to detect in bottle return machines.

Compatible with existing filling equipment

The bottles are designed for the BVS 30/60 screw cap (Stelvin) commonly used in Austria. Therefore, no technical adjustments are necessary during bottling.

Easily recognizable

The Austrian Chamber of Commerce's reusable logo is embossed four times on the shoulder of the bottle. This makes the bottles easy to spot on the shelf and during bottle return.

Label Protection and Friction Rings

Raised areas above and below the label surface protect the labels during transport and on conveyor belts. At the same time, they limit friction to two narrow rings and reduce large-area scratches.

Cold-work hardening

A polyethylene dispersion improves the gliding properties on conveyor belts and facilitates machine processing during filling and washing. Since this protective coating wears off during the first few washes, crates should be used and the bottles should be handled with care.

A 1-liter size is also planned

As part of the project, two olive-green 0.75-liter returnable bottles were developed—in the standard Rhine wine and Bordeaux shapes. A Burgundy-style bottle is not currently planned, as sales in this segment are still too low. In response to requests from many winemakers, a 1-liter reusable bottle in the Bordeaux shape was also developed. It is 310 mm tall, also uses the BVS 30/60 closure, and is available in standard green.

The closures

All reusable wine bottles in the project feature a mouth compatible with the industry-standard BVS 30/60 closure. This is globally unique for reusable wine bottles, which previously only used corks, crown corks, or MCA (juice) closures.

The BVS 30/60 closure is available with two different types of liners:

• Wads (flat gaskets)

• Foamed sealing compounds

Both variants meet the generally expected requirements:

• Liquid tightness (when stored horizontally).

• Gasdichtheit bei Verwendung von CO2 im Füllgut (< 2 gCo2/l).

• Storage life of up to 4 years with tin insert.

• Good adaptation of the seal to the mouth profile (sealing surface).

Due to the presence of sealing compound in the transition area from the sealing surface to the transition radius core diameter, the foamed compound (top and side) additionally offers slightly more security against…

• Mechanical contact (bottle handling during filling and storage)

• Minor contact dents on the closure

• Minor damage to the bottle's sealing surface and resulting leaks

In addition, bottles with foamed compound can be laid down more quickly after the filling process.

The labels

The ideal label for reusable systems is resistant to ice water and condensation, but detaches easily and in one piece from the reusable container during commercial alkaline washing. The label material itself must therefore be alkali-stable and easily recyclable, or consist of a high proportion of recycled material. The optimal adhesive for this is hot-water soluble, recyclable, and stored under optimal conditions.

Many standard self-adhesive labels do not meet the requirements. If they are applied to reusable bottles, the washing facility must reject these bottles as single-use containers and charge the distributor accordingly. The good news: Reusable-compliant products—including self-adhesive labels—have been in use for several years and are available from all label manufacturers.

The ideal label for reusable bottles must meet two key requirements: It should be resistant to ice and condensation water—yet detach easily and completely from the container in one piece without residue during commercial caustic washing.

This requires a label material that:

• is caustic-resistant,
• is easily recyclable or contains a high proportion of recycled content,
• and is coated with a hot-water-soluble, recyclable adhesive that is stored properly.

It also requires an adhesive that:

• is hot-water-soluble, and
• dissolves completely in combination with additives (e.g., NaOH + additives).

It is also advantageous if the adhesive is not over-aged (max. 24 months) and has not been exposed to the elements. This is not strictly mandatory, but it helps avoid unnecessary disruptions in the washing process.

Caution with standard self-adhesive labels
Many conventional self-adhesive labels do not meet these requirements. If they are applied to reusable bottles nonetheless, these bottles cannot be reused. They must be sorted out like single-use containers and billed to the distributor at deposit value.

The good news: Solutions are available
Reusable-compatible labels—including self-adhesive variants—have been available on the market for years and can be sourced from all standard label manufacturers. It is therefore worth deliberately selecting products suited for reusable systems.

Avoid expensive downcycling:
Have your labels checked by the bottle washer before use!

Typical problems with unsuitable labels

Paper pulp formation
If non-caustic-resistant label paper is used, it swells during washing and loses its structure. The dissolved paper particles accumulate in the nozzles and lines of the washing machine. This leads to downtime, additional cleaning effort, and in the worst case, damage to the system.

Adhesive residue on the bottle
Another problem: While the label paper dissolves in the caustic solution, the adhesive remains stuck. Complete removal is then only possible manually and with chemical additives.

Label types

	Self-adhesive labels	Wet-glue labels	Dry-gummed labels
Adhesive: caustic-soluble	product-dependent	yes	yes
Label: wet-strength & caustic-resistant	product-dependent	product-dependent	product-dependent
Waste paper recycling	yes	yes	yes

From extensive studies by project partner Securikett involving more than 600 different bottle-label material-adhesive combinations, the following insights were gained:

Purchasing advice

• Commercial self-adhesive papers labeled as washable are suitable for washing, but are usually not or poorly suited for the ice bucket test. Behavior in the cellar, refrigerator, or during commercial transport (refrigerated trucks) should be tested.
• Polypropylene films with caustic-soluble adhesive (washable UV acrylate or a washable rubber hot melt) meet the requirements during washing AND in the ice bucket test, but create a mixed fraction in the caustic solution with dissolved paper labels that cannot be recycled.
• Used bottles achieve good wash-off results even when their adhesives are not specified for washing. This is related to a cold-end coating (see above) that has already been partially or completely removed. Therefore, a larger number of lower-cost label materials are viable for used bottles, which often also pass an ice bucket test. Feasibility must always be tested beforehand. Adhesives specified as 'washable from plastic' or as 'strongly permanent' must be tested before use on reusable glass.
• Adhesives specified as 'washable from plastic' or as 'strongly permanent' must be tested before use on reusable glass.
• Adhesives applied in stripes increase the surface area exposed to the caustic solution and can improve wash-off performance.
• Important: Quality, price, reusable, and deposit stickers should also be washable!

Storage instructions

• Rain: On commercial self-adhesive papers applied to glass containers, (repeated) exposure to moisture followed by drying out has a negative impact on wash-off capability. Moistening immediately prior to washing, on the other hand, has an extremely positive effect.
• Sunlight: Exposing labeled empty containers to direct UV radiation through outdoor storage is also detrimental to wash-off capability.

Printing instructions

• Tests have shown that open-pored, closed, and wet-strength papers are all washable.
• Printing (UV inks, varnishes) – especially when applied full-surface – can impact the wash-off results.
• The effects of cold or hot foil stamping must be evaluated on an individual basis.
• Laminates should be avoided for use on reusable bottle labels.

Given the wide variety of potential label options, we recommend a consultation with your label suppliers or bottle washing facility.