In order to reduce the use of plastic - a material that is hardly recycled - the multinational Procter & Gamble is testing a paper-based packaging for its fabric softener brand Lenor. The bottle is made of FSC-certified paper, with a thin protective layer of recycled PET-based plastic as a first step. This is the first bottle of its kind to be produced on a large scale with such a design and technology.
Prototypes to be tested in Europe next year
These new cellulose bottles will be deployed in Western Europe from 2022. "The launch of this prototype will form the basis of a test-and-learn strategy to develop and expand the use of paper packaging within the P&G Group." says P&G's Fabric & Home Care division. Based on this initial test phase, versions will be developed that integrate the barrier directly into the paper liner to create a seamless, 100% biobased, fully recyclable bottle in the paper stream.
This brand new type of packaging is designed by Paboco, a joint venture founded in 2019 with Swedish packaging company BillerudKorsnäs and Austrian bottle manufacturer Alpha, with the specific goal of producing paper bottles entirely from biobased materials.
Then the multinationals Carlsberg, The Coca-Cola Company, The Absolut Company and L'Oréal joined the project. Today, paper bottles with a thin, 100% recyclable PET barrier that reduce plastic use by up to 65% are widely available.
"We are very excited to join this group of packaging innovators." said Jerry Porter, vice president of R&D for Fabric & Home Care . "The Lenor brand we have chosen as a pilot has already proven itself in integrating recycled plastic into its packaging; using up to 100% of this plastic in its European clear bottles. Our goal now is to go even further with biobased packaging, which has a very promising future."
A paper bottle for "creating a world without plastic waste"
"Our vision is to change this industry for good and create a world without plastic waste and less dependent on these materials, says Paboco's acting CEO, Gittan Schiöld. Preserving liquids in paper is particularly complex, but successfully adopting this approach could result in significant benefits for the planet. Having P&G as a partner in our community is a huge asset in realizing this vision. Not only does it add weight to the viability of the technology, but it also brings P&G's expertise, providing new opportunities for scaling up Paboco's paper bottles."
Paper bottles soon in different supermarket aisles
The absolut vodka brand the coca-Cola soda brand and the Carlsberg beer brand will both test fiber bottles by the end of the year, and L'Oréal is also scheduled to market cosmetics from its Roche-Posay and Kiehl's brands in paper packaging by 2022.
But Paboco is no longer alone in the paper bottle segment. Last April, Finnish-Swedish paper group Stora Enso and packaging technology company Pulpex announced a high-speed production line in 2022 for bottles and containers made from wood fiber pulp (read Paper bottle production goes into high gear ).
