DIAGEO has revealed it has created what it described as the world’s first ever 100% plastic-free, paper-based spirits bottle, made entirely from sustainably sourced wood.
The bottle will debut with Johnnie Walker early next year and comes as Diageo announces a new partnership with Pilot Lite, a venture management company, to launch Pulpex Limited, a sustainable packaging technology company.
Pulpex has established a partner consortium of FMCG companies in non-competing categories including Unilever, and PepsiCo, with further partners expected to be announced later in the year. The consortium partners are each expecting to launch their own branded paper bottles, based on Pulpex Limited’s design and technology.
Pulpex has developed a scalable paper-based bottle designed and developed to be 100% plastic-free and expected to be fully recyclable. The bottle is made from sustainably sourced pulp to meet food-safe standards. The technology will allow brands to rethink packaging designs, or move existing designs into paper.
Ewan Andrew, chief sustainability officer at Diageo PLC said, “We’re proud to have created this world first. We are constantly striving to push the boundaries within sustainable packaging and this bottle has the potential to be truly ground-breaking. It feels fitting that we should launch it with Johnnie Walker, a brand that has often led the way in innovation throughout its 200 years existence.”
Pulpex Limited’s technology is said to allow it to produce plastic-free, single mould bottles that can be used across a range of consumer goods. The packaging has been designed to contain a variety of liquid products.
Richard Slater, chief R&D officer at Unilever, said, “We believe in tackling plastic waste through innovation and collaboration. We are going to halve our use of virgin plastic at Unilever, reducing our use of plastic packaging by more than 100,000 tonnes in the next five years. Joining forces to develop and test paper bottles is an incredibly exciting step forward, and we’re delighted to be working together to tackle one of the biggest environmental challenges of our time.”
Simon Lowden, chief sustainability officer at PepsiCo, commented, “Innovative solutions and partnerships are critical to driving meaningful progress toward a circular economy. The Pulpex consortium is well positioned to deliver sustainable packaging at scale and across industries, having impact beyond what any organization could achieve alone. We’re proud to be a part of it.”
