In 2023, PulPac and PA Consulting launched the Bottle Collective, of which Diageo is a founding member. One of the goals of the collective is to create a fibre bottle alternative to help minimise the use of single-use plastic bottles in food, drink, consumer health, and FMCG industries.
This was centred on PulPac’s Dry Molded Fiber technology and uses renewable pulp and cellulose resources to produce low-cost, fibre-based packaging. The patented manufacturing process uses less carbon dioxide than plastic and conventional wet moulding options.
Anthony (Tony) Perrotta, sustainability and regenerative economy expert at PA Consulting, said: “Sustainability wins that cannot ultimately be industrialised at meaningful volumes will not satisfy brand owners or regulators. Whilst this is an ongoing challenge, the Bottle Collective considers commercial scalability as an essential factor during the development.
“We knew that this could not be a curated ‘lab trophy’. While it is a bold innovation, there needed to be clear line of sight into producing millions of bottles at the speed, scale, and cost the industry requires. As a collective, that remains the direction of travel, and for Diageo’s products specifically, we are still validating what that pathway looks like in practice.”
For Diageo, participation in the Bottle Collective has led to a live consumer trial in real-life conditions of a 70cl paper bottle made from 90% paper for its Johnnie Walker Black Label whisky. This makes it around 60% lighter than glass alternatives, with almost half the CO2e.
“Fibre is the lead horse in the race to alternative materials,” Perrotta adds. “In that context, the brands that lean into experimentation and are willing to showcase their progress will have an advantage in shaping future norms rather than reacting to them.”
“For alternative materials to be taken seriously at scale, they must not risk compromising the product and nor should they ask consumers to compromise on their experience. That balance is not fully resolved yet, and like any meaningful breakthrough, it takes time to get right.”