Carbon Footprint of a Wine Bottle (750ml): LCA Benchmark (10,000 Simulations)
Last updated: 2026-03-24
Based on 10,000 Monte Carlo simulations using the Ecoinvent 3.9.1 database and aligned with ISO 14040/44, the carbon footprint of a standard 750ml wine bottle has a median value of 1.89 kg CO₂e per bottle. The 80% confidence interval spans from 1.54 kg CO₂e (P10) to 2.29 kg CO₂e (P90), reflecting real-world variability in glass production, wine-making practices, packaging materials, and transport. Published studies and EPDs broadly support this range, with cradle-to-grave estimates in the literature typically falling between 1.2 and 2.18 kg CO₂e per bottle.
How Much CO₂ Does a Wine Bottle (750ml) Produce?
Impact Score Scale (A to E)
| Score | Rating | Range |
|---|---|---|
| A | Excellent | 0.00 – 1.66 kg CO₂e/L |
| B | Good | 1.66 – 1.82 kg CO₂e/L |
| C | Average | 1.82 – 1.95 kg CO₂e/L |
| D | Below Average | 1.95 – 2.12 kg CO₂e/L |
| E | High Impact | 2.12 – + kg CO₂e/L |
Phase Contribution Overview
LCA Phase Breakdown: Where Do the Emissions Come From?
| Phase | Median (kg CO₂e) | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Raw Materials | 1.00 | |
| Manufacturing | 0.74 | |
| Packaging | 0.02 | |
| Transport | 0.08 | |
| Use Phase | 0.00 | |
| End of Life | 0.04 |
Key Findings
- The median carbon footprint of a 750ml wine bottle is 1.89 kg CO₂e, with a mean of 1.92 kg CO₂e across 10,000 simulations.
- The 80% confidence interval ranges from 1.54 kg CO₂e (P10) to 2.29 kg CO₂e (P90), with a standard deviation of 0.32 kg CO₂e, indicating meaningful variability driven by differences in glass type, recycled content, and transport distance.
- Published cradle-to-grave EPDs and peer-reviewed studies cluster between 1.2 and 1.28 kg CO₂e per bottle for well-optimised producers, while less efficient supply chains can reach up to 3.0 kg CO₂e per bottle (Communications Earth & Environment, 2024).
- Glass production is identified as a dominant contributor to the bottle's footprint, with one 2025 German LCA study finding bottle production accounts for up to 70% of total GHG emissions; the EU glass recycling rate of ~76% (FEVE 2021) and the shift from virgin (1.22 kg CO₂e/kg, DEFRA 2025) to recycled glass (0.87 kg CO₂e/kg) are therefore significant levers for reduction.
How This Benchmark Compares to Published EPDs
Methodology: ISO 14040 Monte Carlo Simulation
This benchmark was produced by running 10,000 Monte Carlo simulations drawing on Ecoinvent 3.9.1 background data for glass production (virgin and recycled), wine production, cork, and aluminium, combined with DEFRA 2025 emission factors for packaging and transport, in accordance with ISO 14040/44 life cycle assessment principles. Uncertainty distributions reflect variability in input parameters across geographies, recycled content rates, bottle weights, and transport modes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the carbon footprint of a wine bottle (750ml)?
Based on 10,000 Monte Carlo simulations, the median carbon footprint of a 750ml wine bottle is 1.89 kg CO₂e, with a mean of 1.92 kg CO₂e. The 80% confidence interval runs from 1.54 kg CO₂e (P10) to 2.29 kg CO₂e (P90). Published cradle-to-grave studies and EPDs generally report values between 1.2 and 2.18 kg CO₂e per bottle, while the full literature range extends from around 0.59 to 3.0 kg CO₂e depending on production region, glass weight, recycled content, and transport logistics.
How is this benchmark calculated?
We run 10,000 Monte Carlo simulations using background life cycle inventory data from Ecoinvent 3.9.1, covering glass production (virgin and recycled), wine production, cork, and aluminium closures. Emission factors for packaging and transport are sourced from DEFRA 2025. Each simulation samples from uncertainty distributions applied to key input parameters, producing a robust probability distribution of outcomes rather than a single point estimate. The approach follows ISO 14040/44 LCA methodology, with the functional unit defined as one 750ml bottle of wine.
Which life cycle phase contributes the most?
While phase-level contribution data is not broken out separately in this benchmark, the underlying literature strongly points to glass bottle production as the dominant source of emissions. A 2025 German LCA study published in ScienceDirect found that bottle production alone can account for up to 70% of total life cycle GHG emissions. This is consistent with the significant difference in emission factors between virgin glass (1.22 kg CO₂e/kg, DEFRA 2025) and recycled glass (0.87 kg CO₂e/kg), and with findings from Grupo ARCE / iPoint Systems, where raw materials accounted for 0.80 kg CO₂e out of a total 1.28 kg CO₂e per bottle cradle-to-grave.
How can I reduce the carbon footprint of my wine bottle (750ml)?
The data points to several practical levers. First, increasing the use of recycled glass (cullet) is highly effective: DEFRA 2025 emission factors show recycled glass at 0.87 kg CO₂e/kg versus 1.22 kg CO₂e/kg for virgin glass, and the EU average recycling rate is already ~76% (FEVE 2021), showing room for improvement in some markets. Second, reducing bottle weight matters — the Sustainable Wine Roundtable targets an average still wine bottle weight below 420g. Third, optimising transport by shifting from road (0.107 kg CO₂e/tonne-km, DEFRA 2025) to container ship (0.016 kg CO₂e/tonne-km) where feasible reduces distribution emissions significantly. Finally, exploring reusable glass bottle systems can further cut per-use footprints, as highlighted in the 2025 ScienceDirect reusable packaging LCA study.
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