It’s no secret that a huge chunk of our plastic waste goes into the ocean. In fact, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), scientists estimate the figure to be at eight million metric tons each year. So, it’s about time that companies, regardless of the industry they’re in, reassess their plastic use, especially in packaging. The Paper Bottle Company (Paboco) presents these companies with a more sustainable packaging solution in the form of plant-based bottles.
As the name suggests, these bottles are derived from degradable plant sugars instead of fossil fuels. As such, they feature renewable materials that people can recycle time and again or discard without posing harm to nature. This idea fueled the desire of paper packaging developer BillerudKorsnäs to create sustainable packaging options for manufacturers and distributors. In 2019, BillerudKorsnäs launched the Paper Bottle Project in cooperation with bottle manufacturing specialist ALPLA and renewable chemicals company Avantium.
The Paper Bottle Company (Paboco) is offering brands a more sustainable packaging solution in the form of plant-based bottles
“The paper bottle project is an innovation community joining some of the world’s leading players in materials, design and technology; united by the vision to create the world’s first 100% bio-based and recyclable paper bottle.”
They’re 100% recyclable, and they can degrade in as fast as one year, unlike their plastic counterparts which take hundreds of years to decompose
The project is primarily targeting brands that offer liquid-based contents, including beverages as well as personal hygiene products like shampoo. In 2019, Paboco announced its partnership with Coca-Cola, L’Oreal and Absolut. Meanwhile, multinational brewer Carlsberg has long been an advocate of the Paper Bottle Project. In a press release, the beer brand revealed its recent developments in its journey towards sustainability.
“We are working on developing the world’s first ‘paper’ beer bottle made from sustainably-sourced wood fibers that is both 100% bio-based and fully recyclable. We now have two new research prototypes of the Green Fiber beer Bottle, which are the first ‘paper bottles’ that are able to contain beer.”
They further noted that both prototypes contain an inner barrier to allow the bottles to hold beer. The inner barrier features a thin plastic film—one with recycled PET and the other with 100% bio-based PEF. It’s also worth pointing out that PEF is a recyclable polymer that exhibits superior barrier and thermal properties. In addition, PEF bottles can degrade much faster than their PET counterparts which take hundreds of years to decompose. As such, this makes them a great alternative to single-use plastic packaging.
So, they make a great alternative to single-use plastic packaging which have been clogging the oceans for the longest time
Paboco is looking to tap more manufacturers, particularly in the food and beverage industry, to get their sustainability message across. They’re also looking forward to officially rolling out the plant-based bottles on shelves by 2023 for consumer use.
“By changing the bottling industry for good, we have the opportunity to impact people’s choice of sustainable packaging and indirectly spark the beginning of an everyday movement.”
Source: Paper Bottle Company (Paboco)