Pernod Ricard has begun bottling its Chivas Regal 18 whisky in a lighter glass bottle.

The bottle has 25% less glass compared to the company’s previous packaging for its 70cl Chivas Regal 18 product, according to the distiller. It also said the brand's outer packaging is now fully recyclable.

The packaging will be introduced in all markets into which Pernod Ricard ships Chivas Regal 18. The group has forecast that the use of the lighter 70cl bottle will result in the company saving roughly 500 tonnes of glass annually, based on its own 2024 volume data.

Chivas Brothers, Pernod Ricard's whisky arm, said it could not share the name of the glass bottle producer.

“At Chivas Regal, we are committed to continuing to premiumise our brand while making meaningful strides in sustainability. The new Chivas Regal 18 bottle not only showcases our dedication to luxury with its refined design but also highlights our ongoing efforts to reduce our environmental impact,” Chivas Regal global marketing director Nick Blacknell said in a statement.

“By reducing our glass weight and transitioning to fully recyclable outer packaging, we are taking significant steps towards a more sustainable future.”

Pernod Ricard rival Diageo has also been working on the weight of its bottles. Last month, it claimed to have launched the "world's lightest" whisky glass bottle" for its Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ultra product.

Just 888 bottles will be sold next year to "selected markets worldwide", Diageo said said.

Last year, Pernod Ricard shared carbon-reduction technology it had implemented at its Glentauchers distillery with the rest of the industry.

The technology relates to two heat recovery systems that capture and recycle heat generated in the distillation process. At the time, Pernod Ricard said the technology had reduced carbon emissions at the site by 53%, a saving it claims is equivalent to the energy required to power 4,979 average UK homes for a year.

Chivas Brothers' design team worked with the German-based Piller Blowers & Compressors to create and install the heat recovery technologies – Mechanical Vapour Recompression and Thermo Vapour Recompression – at its Glentauchers distillery.

However, Pernod Ricard did note the upgrade was a bespoke fit at its distillery and the technology would not be suitable for many sites.