Coca-Cola has announced plans to develop a 100% paper bottle.
The soft drink giant is partnering with Danish startup Paboco – short for the Paper Bottle Company – to develop the innovative design.
The first-generation prototype consists of a paper shell with a 100% recycled plastic closure and liner inside, with efforts now geared towards creating a paper bottle without the plastic liner.
Stijn Franssen, R&D packaging innovation manager at Coca-Cola EMEA, believes the innovation could signal the start of an exciting new chapter in packaging.
“Our vision is to create a paper bottle that can be recycled like any other type of paper, and this prototype is the first step on the way to achieving this,” said Franssen.
“A paper bottle opens up a whole new world of packaging possibilities, and we are convinced that paper packaging has a role to play in the future.”
Franssen’s team is conducting extensive lab testing at The Coca-Cola Company’s research and development centre in Brussels, where it will assess how the paper bottle performs and protects its contents in various scenarios, including refrigeration.
Whilst the project is still in its early stages of development, Paboco’s business development manager Michael Michelsen believes it has the potential to be a breakthrough for the packaging industry.
“We’re focused on several different development areas, which all tie back to our vision of creating a 100% recyclable and bio-based bottle,” said Michelsen.
“This has potential to be a real breakthrough in circularity for the industry, unearthing huge potential in how packaging is designed, produced and used by consumers.
“Changing an industry requires progress in increments and a push for sustainable change. The paper bottle concept remains a work in progress, and being able to truly evolve and scale to meet producer and consumer demand is one of the critical challenges to overcome.”
Image courtesy of Coca-Cola EMEA.
