Forestry firm Stora Enso to supply Diageo pulp for paper whisky bottles
Reuters
Published May 11, 2021 07:24
Updated May 11, 2021 12:26
(Corrects description of material used in bottle lining in 5th paragraph)
By Essi Lehto
HELSINKI (Reuters) -Finnish forestry firm Stora Enso said on Tuesday it would start supplying pulp for sustainable packaging company Pulpex, a research and development venture of British beverage maker Diageo (LON:DGE).
Stora Enso and Pulpex will also work together to build a scalable high speed production line for bottles and other packages out of pulp fibre in a commercial capacity in 2022, the companies said in a joint statement.
"The first high-speed line will be a demonstrator to show whether we can do this on an industrial scale and at the cost level we are expecting," said Sohrab Kazemahvazi, senior vice- president of Stora's formed fiber unit.
In addition to Diageo's brands, Pulpex said it was working with Pepsi, Unilever (LON:ULVR), GSK and Castrol, which are committed to together produce 750 million paper bottles in a year.
The bottles are made by molding the pulp directly into shape, skipping the step of first making it into a flat board, Kazemahvazi told Reuters. The bottle is then lined with food-grade water-based coatings and will still fit into the paper waste stream, he added.
"We use no PET barrier, and if we use plastic, we want to keep the bottles recyclable and in case they end up in Nature, biodegradable," Kazemahvazi said.
The European Union is prioritising recycling of package materials and limiting plastic use in a plan to halve waste by 2030.
Last July, Diageo said it would test the Pulpex bottle by launching Johnnie Walker whisky in a paper bottle in 2021.
Get The App
Written By: Reuters
Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.