Procter & Gamble has unveiled its first paper bottle for Lenor in partnership with paper bottle company Paboco, announcing a pilot for Western Europe in 2022. The trial rollout will form the basis of a test and learn strategy to scale up paper packaging and incorporate it more widely across P&G’s portfolio.
As part of its 2030 Ambition, P&G aims to reduce its use of virgin plastics by 50% by 2030. P&G Fabric Care Europe has additionally committed to a 30% absolute plastics reduction by 2025 and to design for 100% recyclability by 2022 – it says that it is well on track for both commitments. In addition, P&G Home Care is committed to using no virgin plastics by 2025.
Paboco’s paper bottle technology is advancing quickly and promises to reduce and replace plastic content while lowering carbon footprint compared to conventional plastic packaging. This alternative form of packaging is increasingly viable and scaling at pace, backed by leading consumer goods companies and industry experts including The Coca-Cola Company, Carlsberg Group, The Absolut Company, L’Oréal, BillerudKorsnäs, and ALPLA united by the vision to create the world’s first 100% bio-based and recyclable paper bottle at scale.
Senior vice president of R&D for Global Fabric & Home Care Sector Jerry Porter explains, “We’re very excited to join this group of packaging innovators. This is another milestone on our P&G Fabric & Home Care journey to innovate towards more sustainable packaging formats. Our chosen pilot brand Lenor has a great track record of incorporating recycled plastic into its packaging, already using up to 100% in its European transparent bottles. Now we aim to go a step further with bio-based packaging, which has a very promising future. We are delighted to be on this journey with our partners in the development of the next generations of paper bottles.”
Speaking on behalf of Paboco, interim CEO Gittan Schiöld said, “Our vision is to change this industry for good, and to create a world less dependent on plastic and without plastic waste, by designing for circularity and inventing packaging from bio-based materials. Storing liquids in paper is particularly challenging, but its successful adoption could have major benefits for the planet. Having P&G Fabric & Home Care category as a partner in the paper bottle community is a huge boost to that vision. Not only does it really add weight to the viability of the technology but brings with it P&G’s know-how to the table, offering new opportunities for scaling Paboco’s paper bottle technology.”
P&G says the bottle already significantly reduces plastic compared to a bottle used today. The bottle is being described as the first of its kind produced at scale, in its design and technology, made from sustainably sourced FSC-certified paper and initially a thin plastic barrier made from post-consumer recycled PET. Building on learnings from this milestone, P&G says future versions of the bottle will integrate the barrier into the paper lining to create a seamless, 100% bio-based bottle, fully recyclable in the paper stream.
