The Light 26: when glass innovation is put to work for Champagne
A chat with Stéphane Dubois, Sales Manager for Champagne & Alsace, and Hervé Raffard, Customer Support Manager, at Saverglass
Who is Saverglass?
Building on an industrial heritage dating back to 1897 in the Bresle Valley – one of the traditional strongholds of the glass industry in France since the 15th century – Saverglass has gradually established itself as the world leader in the manufacture and decoration of premium glass bottles. In 1985, under the leadership of its chairman Loïc Quentin de Gromard, the company chose to focus on hyper-specialisation: the production of luxury bottles in small batches for demanding markets such as the Cognac industry. Since then, nearly 200 people have been working continuously on innovation projects, producing over 400 new designs and decorations each year. Today, the group employs 3,400 people and produces 485,000 tonnes of bottles annually, intended for still wines, sparkling wines and spirits. With over 120 years’ experience in high-end glassmaking, Saverglass combines two complementary areas of expertise — manufacturing and decoration — to meet the demands for excellence and uniqueness of leading brands.
The bottle: the sector’s biggest contributor to carbon emissions
A bottle of Champagne is much more than just a container. Today, it lies at the heart of a major environmental issue. As Stéphane Dubois points out, “when the CIVC carried out its comprehensive study of the Champagne sector’s CSR footprint, it was the bottle that raised a red flag. And with good reason: glass accounts for nearly 30% of the sector’s carbon footprint, based on a standard bottle weighing 835 grams.
It is against this backdrop that Saverglass has supported winemaker Cédric Moussé in developing a groundbreaking bottle: the Light 26, weighing between 725 and 740 grams – nearly 100 grams less than the traditional bottle. A technical feat as much as a concrete response to the growing expectations of the market and regulatory bodies.
From concept to reality: the story of a bold project
The origins of the Light 26 lie as much in a personal relationship as in a technical convergence. Stéphane Dubois has known Cédric Moussé for many years and had made with him “an almost friendly promise to eventually work together.” But it was Saverglass’s ability to meet the winemaker’s technical brief — and to reassure him throughout the process — that made the difference.
For Cédric Moussé did not arrive empty-handed. He had a clear vision: a bottle whose height would equal its circumference, inspired by the proportions of the magnum, and which would pour into the glass with the same fluidity. Hervé Raphard emphasises that this project was fully in line with Saverglass’s DNA: “We have always worked on daring projects, those special bottles that other glassmakers left aside because they were technically complicated.”*** We**** didn’t hide from Cédric that**** we were going topush certain boundaries, butwe accepted this challenge because it aligned with our core values: innovation, design and support. ”
Technical challenges: finding the right balance
Designing a lighter Champagne bottle is no mean feat. Unlike still wines or spirits, a Champagne bottle must withstand internal pressure of 8 to 10 bar, the impact of handling, the thermal shocks of disgorging, and an entire process comprising around ten particularly demanding stages.
The strategy adopted by Saverglass was to ‘work in dichotomy’: deliberately going lower than what is reasonable and then moving back up towards an optimal point. It was by lowering the height of the bottle — in line with Cédric Moussé’s aesthetic vision — that the team was able to reduce the amount of glass in the upper section, without ever compromising on the mechanical strength requirements defined by the CIVC’s specifications.
Another requirement met: machinability. The Light 26 retains a diameter equivalent to that of standard bottles, meaning it is fully compatible with existing bottling, labelling and riddling lines.“ “We haven’t revolutionised the entire process,” explains Hervé Raphard. This is a prerequisite for the innovation to be truly adoptable.
A tangible and quantifiable environmental impact
The gains achieved are far from negligible. Across Scopes 1 and 2 (excluding transport and packaging), the Light 26 delivers an 11.4% reduction in carbon footprint. When Scope 3 is included, this reduction rises to 23%. This performance is made possible in particular by a logistical effect: the reduction in bottle height allows an extra row to be added to delivery pallets, thereby reducing the number of lorries on the roads and the amount of packaging used.
These figures reflect increasingly concrete market demands. Some Scandinavian countries are pushing for a reduction in glass weight, and the SAQ — a Canadian government agency — now stipulates in its specifications a maximum weight of 835 grams for 75 cl bottles, regardless of their shape. “In the future, there could be markets that close their doors to those who fail to adapt,” warns Stéphane Dubois.
Design, identity and value: a bottle that gets people talking
Beyond its technical performance, the Light 26 raises questions about the aesthetic identity of Champagne. Could it become an iconic bottle for the appellation? For Saverglass, the answer lies in a house motto: ‘Good design, at the right weight. It is not a question of sacrificing aesthetics on the altar of sustainability, but of demonstrating that the two can coexist — and even reinforce one another.
As for how the innovation has been received by industry stakeholders, the feedback is positive. “It leaves no one indifferent, and that’s a good sign,” says Stéphane Dubois. Feedback has been overwhelmingly enthusiastic, from both wine professionals and technical bodies. The CIVC is supporting the project with a rigorous validation protocol, conducting tests at every stage of the Champagne production process. “All systems go,” sums up Hervé Raffard.
As for packaging as a selling point, a degree of nuance is required. As Stéphane Dubois pragmatically points out: “Marketing sells the first bottle, the wine sells the second.” The bottle may catch the eye, but it is the story, the winemaker, and ultimately the wine itself that build loyalty.
An innovation that leads the way
The Light 26 is the result of a fusion of expertise: Saverglass’s long-standing mastery of shaped bottles and its newly established capability in reducing glass weight. It demonstrates what can be achieved through a relationship of trust between a technically ambitious glassmaker and a winemaker willing to take calculated risks.
It also poses a broader question to the entire industry: how far can we go in the eco-design of Champagne bottles? The answer will depend on the evolution of the Champagne specifications and future technological advances. In the meantime, the Light 26 is blazing a trail — and demonstrating that innovation in Champagne, even in an area that has seemed set in stone for decades, is not only possible but necessary.
Saverglass is the world leader in the manufacture and decoration of premium glass bottles for wines and spirits. With its roots in Feuquières, in the Oise region, the company’s expertise extends globally, serving prestigious houses, smaller, more niche brands and independent winegrowers.