Ruinart in “Second Skin“
The champagne producer Maison Ruinart, which belongs to the luxury goods group LVMH, is drawing attention to itself with a new outer packaging for champagne. A “second skin” made of recyclable material preserves the emblematic silhouette of the bottles.
It underlines the curves of their contents and nestles very closely to the typical bottle shape: the “second skin” packaging from champagne producer Maison Ruinart. This is to gradually replace existing cardboard packaging. Although it is very thin, the second skin is resistant to moisture, as Maison Ruinart emphasizes. Because the outer packaging is resistant to moisture, it can even be placed in an ice bucket for several hours until serving.
The packaging also protects the wines from light, which is important for clear glass bottles like Ruinart Blanc de Blancs. The “second skin” can be easily opened and closed by means of a special closure system with a snap fastener formed from the packaging.
Aesthetic and sustainable
The surface of the “second skin” should remind us of the walls of the Crayères de Reims, the old chalk quarries and the natural wine cellars where the champagnes of the Maison Ruinart mature. The paper tray is made of 100 percent cellulose and is much lighter than the previous generation of Ruinart gift boxes. It weighs only 40 grams instead of the previous 360 grams. The carbon footprint has thus been reduced by 60 percent. In addition, 91 percent of the water used in the manufacturing process is clean enough to be released back into nature after filtration.
Intensive work on the details
The conception from the idea to the realized new packaging took several years. The creative agency Chic Ruinart convinced with an elegant, sophisticated proposal, as the champagne producer reports. The agency also suggested the material. Then Ruinart’s packaging development department came on board, working with the procurement department to find the right manufacturer to implement the design. One decided for Pusterla 1880 as well as for James Cropper. The two suppliers revised the original design several times to make it compatible for their machines.
Numerous prototypes tried out
According to the company, a total of seven prototypes were required to achieve the realized result. One challenge, for example, was that the housing had to be opaque, but paper alone was not sufficient to filter out all the light. The cellulose mixture was therefore enriched with natural metal oxide, which is also used in the production of certain organic sunscreen cosmetics. Oenological tests have been carried out on each new prototype to ensure that the taste of the wine is perfectly preserved.
