The paper bottle is back in the news

It has been quite some time since we last wrote about developments in fiber-based bottles. A few years ago, the topic generated a great deal of buzz, leading to the formation of several consortia that included major corporations interested in the technology. Eventually, however, the news dried up, and it began to look as though the idea would never reach large-scale implementation. Yet, reality has pleasantly surprised us.

What came as a surprise, however, was the large-scale launch of a liquid laundry detergent packaged in molded-fiber bottles. This is a joint project between the British company Smol and the Pulpex group. The new bottles are set to hit the market in the coming weeks. The product’s barrier properties are provided by an ultra-thin, water-soluble polymer coating. Pulpex representatives state that this coating will not interfere with the subsequent recycling of the used bottle as standard paper. The cap is made of polypropylene and is also recyclable.

In addition, the Pulpex company says that very soon you will see their bottles with products from the PepsiCo and Diageo brands on supermarket shelves. Let's remember that about two years ago Diageo already launched a pilot project with small batches of their Baileys liqueur and Johnnie Walker whiskey bottled in paper bottles, but after that larger-scale sales did not follow. Now both global brands are planning to launch large quantities of their drinks in fiber bottles.

Materials from the websites smol.com and pulpex.com were used.