Swedish company PulPac has joined forces with PA Consulting, launching a new initiative called The Bottle Collective, which will create a fibre bottle alternative aimed at minimising the use of single-use plastic in food, drink, consumer health and FMCG industries.
They have already developed the first functioning prototypes, and multiple brand partners have already joined the Collective to continue developing and scaling fibre bottles by 2025.
According to The Bottle Collective, its dry moulded fibre bottle process uses renewable pulp and cellulose resources to produce low-cost, high-performance fibre-based packaging. It says that the patented manufacturing process uses less CO2 than plastic and conventional wet moulding options, with almost no water used in manufacturing. The product can be used for water, dairy, non-carbonated soft drinks, adult beverages, detergent, skin care, hair care and other liquid products.
Tony Perrotta, PulPac partnership lead at PA Consulting, said the bottles “will make the most of our renewable resources while delivering significant positive impact to reduce today’s single use plastic pollution”.
Regarding the next steps, Perrotta added, “We are now ready to enter the next stage – demonstrating that our dry moulded fibre bottles are capable of being produced at the speed, volume, and cost necessary to match the massive scale of this global industry challenge.”
Sanna Fager, chief commercial officer at PulPac, said: “Plastic bottles are the holy grail of plastic replacement. They have an estimated annual production volume of up to 500 billion pieces and are a significant source of plastic pollution worldwide. We are proud to share some of our patent-protected advances with PA Consulting, combining dry moulded fibre's forming versatility, broad barrier applicability, and high production efficiency. Backed by strong partnerships across the value chain, we can bring competitive unit cost into the fibre-bottle space, enabling the shift away from today’s single-use plastic. We encourage all brands and relevant industry actors to join this force for sustainable change.”
