Pulpex Pulp Bottles

Johnnie Walker Pulpex prototype / Source: Diageo

EuropeFood & BeverageFood GradeLeak ProofMoisture BarrierMoulded FibreOil ResistantPackagingPulpex Pulp BottlesRecyclable

WHAT WE SAY:

Watching its showcase video, with fibre bottles coming smoothly off an automated production line to rousing music, it is impossible not to feel that the end is in sight for the single-use plastic bottle. But watch closely and you will see that something is missing – where are the slo-mo montages of people drinking from Pulpex’s fibre bottles?

They are not included because in the two years since it was announced, we have seen more glossy videos than tangible products on retailers’ shelves, sadly. Let us hope the next two years sees less marketing and more progress.

Pulpex Pulp Bottles

WHAT IS PULPEX PULP BOTTLES?

In June 2020, Diageo - the beverage company behind Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff and Guinness - partnered with venture management company Pilot Lite to launch Pulpex, a packaging company focused on creating a pulp-based alternative to the plastic bottle.
The bottles are made from PEFC and FSC-certified wood pulp that can be recycled in the paper waste stream and degrade benignly in the natural environment.
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, however no products have come to market yet (beyond a handful of concept products).

KEY PROPERTIES:

Food Grade
Leak Proof
Moisture Barrier
Oil Resistant
Recyclable

INDUSTRY:

Food & Beverage
Packaging

AVAILABILITY:

Concept Stage

DIVE DEEPER:

Plastic bottles are a key pollutant for the planet, with worldwide production of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles reaching 583 billion units in 2021. That's a million a minute. With a single plastic bottle lasting near 450 years in a marine environment, it is essential to find solutions in this space.
Pulpex bottles are formed by pressurising pulp in moulds using patented technology. The pulp containers are then cured in microwave ovens, before being sprayed internally with non-toxic coatings designed to be compatible with the products they are holding.
Pulpex sources its wood pulp from Stora Enso, a Nordics-based sustainable packaging maker. It has also partnered with sustainable barrier producers Solenis and BASF to create the bottle.
The key question for any fibre bottle is whether it can be produced at scale and at speed. 100,000 bottles by end of 2023, as some competitors quote, will not solve the one million a minute plastic bottle crisis.
Currently Pulpex uses virgin fibre as its feedstock, as recycled pulp cannot be used for food and beverage products due to food safety regulations.
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.
The bottles can be customised, modified with sustainable pigments, and additional decoration can be added through embossing, debasing, labelling and direct print.
Carbonated and hot liquids are not yet suitable for Pulpex bottles, although the company states it is working on developing these functions.

KEY FACTS:

583bn units

Global PET plastic bottle production reached 583 billion units in 2021.

450 years

A single plastic bottle lasts near 450 years in a marine environment.

Key Questions to Ask:

When will the Pulpex bottles actually be on shelves?

Despite its long list of prestigious brand partners – Diageo, Estée Lauder, Kraft Heinz, PepsiCo, Unilever and others – customers still cannot drink from a Pulpex bottle. We hope that progress, when it comes, will be so rapid that we will live to regret this skepticism, but currently we are left wanting much more.

Is wood pulp the best feedstock for hundreds of millions of fiber bottles?

While Pulpex sources its wood pulp from Stora Enso, a world leader in sustainable forestry management, trees have a multi-year growing cycle. Miscanthus (elephant grass), Hemp, Bagasse, Bamboo, starch and other fibrous agricultural waste byproducts may offer a lower impact and more rapidly renewable feedstock, depending on where you are located.

What new branding challenges and opportunities do fibre bottles create?

Moulded Fibre bottles are opaque, unlike their plastic counterparts. Consider how a lack of visual connection with product inside can be overcome in the design and marketing communication. Similarly, you will have to adapt your designs when printing onto moulded fibre when compared to plastic labels.

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