Pulpex

Concept for Johnnie Walker whisky in a paper bottle / Source: Pulpex

EuropeFood & BeverageMoulded FibrePackagingPulpex Pulp BottlesPureFiber

WHAT WE SAY:

We want the Pulpex bottle to be a huge success, given we use 1.2 million plastic bottles every single minute.

But, over its two year history, Pulpex has put out a lot of glossy videos and press releases, while delivering little to nothing in terms of tangible results. We understand the innovation process takes time and that startups need to experiment, but with such a heavy-hitting lineup behind it, our worry is that it becomes a fig leaf for its prestigious (and huge) brand partners – Diageo, Estée Lauder, Kraft Heinz, PepsiCo, Unilever and others – to signal that they are working to ‘solve’ this issue. Meanwhile, another trillion bottles enter our environment. And then another trillion...

Johnnie Walker pulp bottle / Source: Pulpex

ABOUT PULPEX

Pulpex is a Fibre bottle company - formed as a collaboration between Diageo and venture management company Pilot Lite in 2020.
The company’s vision is to make bottles from sustainably sourced, FSC-certified wood pulp that can be easily recycled in mainstream paper or card waste streams, but also degrade benignly in the natural environment if discarded.
It is not clear what closures the company will use, as the company reports its bottles are “designed for use with existing closures,” which may hinder the bottles’ universal recyclability.
Pulpex has stated that its bottles do not contain PFAS chemicals.
However, the company had not launched any commercial products successfully by Q2 2022.
The company is working with a consortium of partners, including Unilever, Pepsico, GSK, Castrol and Estée Lauder. Currently, only Pulpex’s partners have access to its technology and product, although the company says that it plans to expand access in the future, with a vision to produce over 750 million bottles per year by 2025.
As well as its brand partners, Pulpex also draws on its partnerships with Solenis, BASF, Stora Enso and the Biocomposites Centre.