A paper bottle of Johnnie Walker whiskey should be on the market in early 2021. The announcement was made by the spirits group Diageo, owner of the whisky brand. According to the group, it will be the world's first 100% paper, plastic-free and fully recyclable spirits bottle. The packaging will be made from wood from sources identified as sustainable.
Diageo has partnered with Pilot Lite, a venture capital firm, to launch Pulpex Limited, a new sustainable packaging technology company. "?Pour To ensure that the technology can be used in all areas of life, Pulpex Limited has established a consortium of partners from the world's leading FMCG companies in non-competing categories, including Unilever and Pepsico (...) The consortium partners each plan to launch their own branded paper bottles, based on Pulpex Limited's design and technology, at 2021?", explains Diageo in a press release.
Paper bottles should quickly find their way onto the shelves of shops. Various brands have taken this route. Recently, is the British company specialising in sustainable packaging Frugalpac which created a wine and spirits bottle made of recycled paper (94% recycled cardboard and a plastic liner).
In France, researchers at the Technical Paper Centre in Grenoble are working on chromatogenics, a technique that makes paper and cardboard hydrophobic, i.e. water-resistant. Small molecules from bio-based fats are deposited on the surface of the paper, making it impermeable. As the quantity of molecules is very small, the paper remains recyclable in the end. This invention opens up great possibilities for the use of paper and cardboard in areas hitherto reserved for other materials such as plastics.
