DIVE DEEPER:

• More than a million plastic bottles are sold every minute around the world.

• Moulded fibre products are on the uptake globally, and Cullen is one manufacturer who is aiming to tackle our plastic bottle problem with a moulded fibre solution that is available today, at scale and at a competitive price. 

• The bottle, which launched in May 2022, is a product of the company’s closed-loop recycling system, which sees it turn waste kraft paper from the manufacture of corrugated products into pulp by mixing it with water.

• All of the kraft used to make its corrugated products is sourced from FSC-certified suppliers, therefore, its bottles are also certified as such.

• By using a Type 1 moulded fibre manufacturing process, owner David MacDonald says Cullen is able to create up to 270 million bottles annually from its own waste material. In this process, pulp is vacuum formed into the mould, wet pressed, then transferred into a dryer, evaporating the excess water at a controlled rate to prevent burning or scorching. Once dry, moulded fibre retains its rigid bottle shape.

• Research in partnership with the University of Strathclyde has shown that the bottles have been tested for strength, proving that they can perform across supply lines during the bottling process.

• A Marketeers Life Cycle Assessment from 2020 suggests that for single-use packaging of the same size and functionality, moulded fibre has 63% lower CO2 emissions compared to polystyrene and 150% lower CO2 emissions compared to PET.

• As Cullen already produces 470 million moulded pulp items per year such as food packaging, medical equipment and protective packaging, it has the ability to manufacture custom products and silhouettes according to customer requirements.

• As well as being available in “any size, any colour”, the moulded fibre bottles can be branded with biodegradable paper labels, and a plant-based security seal can be added.

• According to MacDonald, Cullen has the capacity to replace plastic solutions within a month at any scale or size.

• Cullen’s bottle also stands apart from its competitors as it is ready to scale now, while others are still in the research and development stage.

• Pricing is competitive and depends on the needs of clients and what they want to achieve. 

• The company has produced over one billion plastic-free products since 2020.

• A new manufacturing facility is part of Cullen’s ongoing expansion which would bring capacity up to one billion pieces per year.

• Clients include the medical and produce sectors, all major supermarkets, food and takeaway sectors, industrial and a huge selection of bespoke clients. 

• The company sources all of its kraft from no more than 150 miles away from its Glasgow, UK, site in order to keep emissions as low as possible.

• Alongside its FSC certification, Cullen holds a BRCGS certification for food-grade packaging and an EN 13432 certification for industrial composting. It also provides chain of custody information for all paper-based products.