Diageo unveils 100% plastic free paper-based spirits bottle 

Alcohol manufacturer Diageo has unveiled a new paper-based spirits bottle, which is 100% plastic free. 

The company, which makes Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff and Guinness, said the bottle has been completely produced using sustainably sourced wood.  

It will introduce the bottle with Johnnie Walker early next year.

Diageo chief sustainability officer Ewan Andrew said: “We’re proud to have created this world first.  

“We are constantly striving to push the boundaries within sustainable packaging and this bottle has the potential to be truly ground-breaking.  

“It feels fitting that we should launch it with Johnnie Walker, a brand that has often led the way in innovation throughout its 200 years existence.” 

The creation follows as Diageo reached a new partnership with a venture management company Pilot Lite to introduce a new sustainable packaging technology company, Pulpex. 

The new company has designed and developed a ‘first-of-its-kind’ 100% plastic free scalable paper-based bottle. It is expected to be entirely a recyclable bottle and can be used a range of liquid products. 

To order to develop the technology further, Pulpex has formed a consortium consisting of fast-moving consumers goods (FMCG) companies such as Unilever and PepsiCo.  

Leveraging Pulpex’s design and technology, the consortium members are expected to introduce their own branded paper bottles each next year. 

Unilever chief R&D officer Richard Slater said: “We believe in tackling plastic waste through innovation and collaboration.  

“We are going to halve our use of virgin plastic at Unilever, reducing our use of plastic packaging by more than 100,000t in the next five years.”