Waitrose has announced plans to ditch small glass wine bottles to switch to aluminium cans.

The supermarket chain estimates that this move will see them save around 320m tonnes of packaging and help them make a significant step of reducing their carbon footprint.

The majority of small wine formats will be available in aluminium cans from 15 January.

Commenting on the announcement, Barry Dick, MW, Beer, Wine and Spirit Bulk Sourcing Manager at Waitrose, said: “We’re delighted to pioneer this move and make reducing waste even easier for our customers.

“Aluminium cans weigh significantly less than glass and create less than half the amount of CO2 than the equivalent single-use glass bottle, cans can also be recycled an infinite number of times.

“We know that more people are buying their drinks in canned formats from cocktails on the go to craft beer which is why making this shift in our wine category makes so much sense.

“We hope the move will encourage suppliers to continue to develop a diverse and exciting range of wines in cans.”