British Company to Launch Paper Bottles

Britons may soon see plastic bottles replaced by paper alternatives, as a British business prepares to launch a new line of paper containers. Pulpex, a company founded in 2020 by drinks giant Diageo and venture firm Pilot Lite, is opening its first commercial-scale factory in Glasgow this month.

Unlike paper straws, which can quickly degrade, Pulpex claims its paper bottles are constructed from a material durable enough to hold liquids for several months. Initially, the company plans to sell paper bottles containing mineral water from Purely Scottish and laundry detergent from the brand Smol. A third production line is expected to follow, with the factory capable of producing up to 40 million bottles annually.

Pulpex raised £62 million (approximately $82 million) to fund the Glasgow facility. Of this amount, £43.5 million ($57.5 million) was contributed by the government-owned National Wealth Fund, and £10 million ($13.2 million) came from the Scottish National Investment Bank.

The company's bottles are made by molding wood pulp into a single-piece container, which is then lined with a specialized recyclable barrier. This barrier is created using a water-based emulsion that integrates directly with the wood fibers, forming part of the bottle itself. This coating constitutes about six to seven percent of the bottle's total weight and does not contain common plastics like PET or HDPE. Pulpex suggests this design allows the bottles to hold liquids for months and could be adapted in the future to control oxygen flow, potentially preserving wines for up to two years. The entire bottle is designed to be recyclable with paper and cardboard.

Previous attempts by companies to create robust, recyclable paper bottles have faced challenges. Some designs have incorporated a paper exterior with a separate plastic liner, requiring consumers to detach the liner before recycling, thus not eliminating plastic waste entirely. Pulpex's single-piece construction aims to overcome these issues.

Despite the advancements, Pulpex has encountered past setbacks. A planned paper bottle for Johnnie Walker, announced in 2020, did not reach shelves by its early 2021 target. Similarly, plans for a paper ketchup bottle for Heinz in 2022 did not materialize, and as of 2024, the company indicated its paper products were still in "feasibility testing."

Furthermore, the Smol bottles will include a polypropylene dosing cap that must be removed and recycled separately. Concerns have also been raised by environmental groups about the broader implications of switching to alternative packaging. The UK charity Green Alliance warned in 2020 that a rush to ditch plastics could inadvertently harm the environment if alternatives are adopted without full consideration of their impacts. For instance, producing paper bags can require significantly more energy than plastic bags. Additionally, the terms 'compostable' and 'biodegradable' can cause confusion, as materials labeled as such do not always break down as expected. A recent study also found that single-use paper cups, even those with biodegradable linings, can release microplastic particles when exposed to hot liquids.