Sustainability and Consumer Preference
Developing an environmentally friendly package does not guarantee it will be widely accepted by consumers. In truth, consumer preferences and trends drive successes and failures in the market. Following are a few examples:
The Coors Stubby Bottle
In the early 1970s, Coors produced an 11-ounce "convenience" beer bottle that was designed with less glass to safely contain the product and cut transportation costs due to its lighter weight. Consumers spoke loud and clear.
The bottle of choice was a long neck bar-type beer bottle containing a greater amount of glass in a much more appealing shape. The stubby bottle ultimately lost out to the consumer-preferred long neck bottle.
The Aluminum Can
Bill Coors, grandson of founder Adolph Coors, led a group of engineers in the late 1950s on a project to design a recyclable aluminum container for beer. At the time, beer was packaged in tin, which imparted an unpleasant aftertaste and leaked. Despite enormous resistance from can manufacturers and competing brewers, the technology prevailed and became an industry standard for packaging beverages.
The Grolsch Bottle
Research in the United Kingdom on consumer preferences about beer bottles led to the debut in 2006 of a newly designed Grolsch bottle that is narrower, has a gentle tapered shape and a smaller label. The bottle was such a hit with consumers that Coors Brewers decided to roll the successful new package out to all of its brands. The lighter bottle has reduced the package weight by 13 percent, delivering a cost benefit to the company as well as an environmental benefit in a package that consumers prefer.
Learn more about the Grolsch bottle.