PulPac partners PA Consulting to launch Bottle Collective to reduce plastic waste

EUROPE – Swedish research and development company, PulPac has collaborated with London-based consultancy company, PA Consulting to launch the Bottle Collective.

The companies say the collective will create a fiber bottle alternative to help minimize the use of single-use plastic bottles in food, drink, consumer health and fast-moving consumer goods industries.

According to a news release from PA, the Bottle Collective is committed to industrializing a recyclable, high-speed, low-cost dry molded fiber bottle process.

PA says this technology will be a viable alternative to single-use and commodity plastic bottles and applicable for multiple products and categories.

Sanna Fager, chief commercial officer at PulPac said: “Plastic bottles are the holy grail of plastic replacement.

“They have an estimated annual production volume of up to 500 billion pieces and are a significant source of plastic pollution worldwide.”

The patented Dry Molded Fiber manufacturing process produces fiber-based packaging from renewable pulp and cellulose resources.

It is thought to use less CO2 than both the manufacture of plastic and traditional wet molding options, as well as almost no water.

Each bottle can also be modified in shape, size, and decoration capability to produce a bespoke bottle for specific brands.

Water, dairy products, non-carbonated soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, detergent, skincare, and hair care are amongst the expected applications for the fiber-based solution.

In addition, multiple leading brand partners are said to have joined the Collective with their sights set on developing and scaling fiber bottles by 2025.

Tony Perrotta, PulPac Partnership lead at PA Consulting said: “We are thrilled to announce the Bottle Collective.

“Together with leading global consumer brand partners, we can fast-track the development of the world’s first Dry Molded Fiber bottle. This will make the most of our renewable resources while delivering significant positive impact to reduce today’s single-use plastic pollution.

“We have the technology. We have a functioning prototype and process. We are now ready to enter the next stage – demonstration that our Dry Molded Fiber bottles are capable of being produced at the speed, volume, and cost necessary to match the massive scale of this global industry challenge.”

The news comes two months after PA Consulting and PulPac launched Blister Pack Collective, which seeks to apply Dry Molded Fiber technology to the pharma, consumer health, and FMCG industries.

The Blister Pack Collective hopes to reduce manufacturing rates and limit the use of non-recyclable plastics to package over-the-counter and prescription drugs.

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