Paboco Paper Bottle Project Introduces First Prototypes for Global Brands

Paper bottle company Paboco debuted new prototypes of bio-based and recyclable bottles made from wood fibers. The Carlsberg Group, the Absolut Company, L’Oréal, and Coca-Cola in Europe are among the project partners.

Danish company EcoXpac, the Carlsberg Group, and the Swedish pulp and paper manufacturer BillerudKorsnäs initially started Paboco in 2015 with the goal of developing a fully sustainable paper bottle that can hold liquids such as carbonated beverages and beauty products.

During the recent C40 World Mayors Summit in Copenhagen, the project partners introduced several prototypes. Carlsberg showed off two bottles both created using what the company describes as sustainably sourced wood fibers that are fully recyclable and have an inner layer that allows them to transport beer.

One of the prototypes has a thin recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) polymer film barrier while the other uses a 100% bio-based polyethylene furanoate (PEF) polymer film barrier, according to Carlsberg.

“These prototypes will be used to test the barrier technology as Carlsberg seeks a solution to achieving its ultimate ambition of a 100% bio-based bottle without polymers,” the company said.

Each of the brands involved in Paboco is planning to develop and design separate paper bottles to meet the needs of their category, the paper bottle company explained.

The brands supporting the project have been working on other types of sustainable packaging beyond paper-based bottles. Earlier this month L’Oréal and the cosmetics packaging company Albéa created a paper-based tube, replacing most of the plastic with a bio-based paper-like material. Coca-Cola produced sample bottles made from recovered and recycled marine plastic.

Last year Carlsberg replaced the plastic wrap for six-packs with a snap-pack that the beverage company says reduces the amount of plastic by as much as 76% compared to traditional multi-packs.

Overcoming technical challenges in packaging takes time, but the company is pleased with the paper bottle progress so far, said Myriam Shingleton, vice president of group development at the Carlsberg Group. “While we are not completely there yet, the two prototypes are an important step towards realizing our ultimate ambition of bringing this breakthrough to market,” she said.