How to replace plastic, glass and metal packaging. Are paper bottles the answer?

Plastic, a catastrophe for our planet.

More than a million plastic bottles are sold worldwide every single minute. And even though some of these disposable bottles are recycled, a significant portion of them remains in the fields and in the oceans. It takes at least 450 years for a plastic bottle to completely degrade, so imagine the impact on the environment. 

However there are companies working on this problem. We already widely use paper-based bags, cups and plates, food containers, cutlery, and even straws. And now, drinking from paper bottles is becoming a reality.

Is paper packaging the solution?

Paboco was created with the idea to design “the world’s first 100% bio-based and recyclable paper bottle”. Started in 2019, Paboco is a joint venture between the paper-packaging materials developer BillerudKorsnäs and bottle manufacturing specialist Alpla. Grown from the innovation company EcoXpac. Paboco aims to solve many scientific, technological and design challenges to create a bottle from sustainably sourced wood and bio-based barriers that will be able to handle even carbonated beverages.

In 2021 CocaCola will start the production of a paper bottle prototype based on Paboco’s extra-strong paper shell technology for their fruit drink AdeZ in Hungary. The current prototype still contains a recyclable plastic lining, however “it is the next and following paper bottle generations barriers that will create a truly sustainable alternative”. 

Fruit drink in a paper bottle and how about pouring a glass of wine from a paper bottle? Frugalpac is another company specializing in sustainable packaging that created Frugal Bottle made from 94% recycled paperboard with a food-grade liner to hold wine or spirits. Resulting in a lighter than a normal glass bottle which is better for the environment, with a lower carbon footprint.

 Sounds like a new era in beverage packaging. Are you excited to see these new bottling technologies in your neighborhood supermarket?

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Written by Alla Malinenko