Suffolk brewery Adnams is giving drinkers the chance to help the environment at the same time as enjoying themselves.The Southwold-based company is launching what it claims is the lightest 500ml bottle of ale, using a third-less glass than its current bottle.

Suffolk brewery Adnams is giving drinkers the chance to help the environment at the same time as enjoying themselves.

The Southwold-based company is launching what it claims is the lightest 500ml bottle of ale, using a third-less glass than its current bottle.

The new bottle weighs in at less than 300g, compared to 455g for the existing design, making it less resource-hungry to produce and distribute.

Marketing manager Ed Hume said: “Adnams is committed to sustainable business and we are always looking for ways to improve our business practice.

“The environmental and cost savings of the new bottle are significant.

“Using a lighter weight bottle will not only lessen the use of glass, but will also result in fewer carbon emissions from the manufacturing process which will in turn mean lower fuel usage due to lighter transportation.

“Coincidently the manufacture of these bottles has moved from Scotland to Harlow, so the number of miles getting them to our bottling plant has also been considerably reduced.”

The bottles are the same deep brown colour as Adnams current bottles and display a distinctive “Beer from the Coast” embossing around the base.

The new design came about as part of work by Adnams with the University of East Anglia's carbon reduction project, and was produced by packaging specialists Cookchick Design and O-I.

Adnams says the new bottle is just one part of their efforts to reduce their impact on the environment, which also include an award-winning distribution centre and a new brewery due to open this spring, both of which have been designed to be energy efficient.

The new bottles will be available in supermarkets at the end of January.