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The Waste & Resources Action Programme (Wrap) has defended research into the carbon impact of imported wine bottled in the UK, following criticism from the British Plastics Federation.

Wrap said it was "confident" that the findings from the research, which compared wine bottled in glass and PET, were "robust".

BPF director general Peter Davis said last week that he found some of the conclusions "difficult to believe".

He said the main issue was not with bulk imports, but the fact that the vast majority of imported wine – more than one million tones – was in green 75cl bottles from Europe.

He said the PET bottle should have been compared with a glass wine bottle weighing 496g, because this was the weight of the majority of glass wine bottles used in the UK.

Wrap said today (31 March) that the report had looked at the bulk importation of wine into the UK, rather than the importing of filled glass or PET bottles.

"A comparison of importing wine in glass and PET bottles would require a separate study," it said.

Nevertheless, Wrap said it would be "happy" to talk to Davis in more detail about the findings.

Sustainability consultancy Best Foot Forward carried out the research for Wrap.