When Absolut offered a particular version vodka in paper bottles within the U.Ok. in the summertime of 2023, the cap was aluminum as a result of it’s a troublesome piece to reconfigure. Two years later, the spirit maker has efficiently examined a paper lid.
The cap was launched in real-world settings — bars — to ensure neither leaks nor degradation resulted from frequent screwing and unscrewing. Absolut additionally needed to verify that bartenders might grip the bottles simply.
“If it doesn’t work, you’ll hear about it,” stated Eric Nat, director of packaging improvement at Absolut. “If it does, nobody will remark.” That’s not fairly true. The taking part bartenders voiced approval for a way quiet the bottles had been when tossed into recycling bins, no small concern in busy institutions.
Absolut is one in every of a number of client merchandise corporations — together with Carlsberg, Cola-Cola, L’Oreal and Procter & Gamble — that’s collaborating with Paboco (the Paper Bottle Firm) on paper-based options to glass, aluminum and plastic containers. Paboco, which was created by way of a three way partnership of European packaging corporations, Sweden’s Billerud and Austria’s Alpla, is aiming to launch paper bottles at scale by the tip of 2025.
Absolut’s curiosity in paper bottles is spurred by a want to transition to lower-emissions supplies and scale back plastic waste, in line with Nat and one other firm government concerned with the venture, Louise Palmstierna, director of future packaging. “We noticed fiber expertise as promising, as a result of we knew that recycling wanted to be a part of the equation,” Palmstierna stated.
The ideas that Absolut is presently evaluating will ultimately be shared with different manufacturers of guardian firm, Pernod Ricard, vendor of Glenlivet Scotch and Beefeater gin.
Absolut’s packaging staff meets usually with different manufacturers which might be experimenting with paper bottles. “We’ve got completely different takes, however the identical ambition,” Nat stated. “The quicker we will get to market, the quicker we will get acceptance.”
Placing a lid on it
Absolut partnered with a Swedish startup, Blue Ocean Closures, to supply its paper cap. Blue Ocean and Paboco had launched a paper bottle and cap in October 2024 that weighs lower than 16 grams. (They didn’t disclose the capability.) Each bottle and lid, which embrace a skinny layer of plastic to guard towards leaks, had been designed to be appropriate for paper recycling methods. The plastic weighs about 2 grams.
Professionals and cons
Shifting fully to biobased limitations for the bottle and cap is a precedence, but it surely presents distinctive challenges. “Working with a spirit is hard,” Nat stated.
Listed here are 4 explanation why:
- Alcohol content material: Over time, alcohol stains paper — a big branding consideration.
- Shelf life: Larger bottles can sit for a 12 months or extra, so packaging that outlasts such a timeframe is crucial. For now, Absolut plans to make use of paper just for smaller portions.
- Carbonation: The related manufacturers in Pernod Richard’s portfolio will keep away from paper bottles till there’s extra information on how limitations stand as much as bubbles.
- Taste: Absolut is finding out how the brand new packaging impacts the style of its flavored variations.
Tradeoffs to think about
Sector curiosity in paper bottles mirrors a extra world one, stated David Linich, a PwC accomplice targeted on decarbonization and sustainable operations. Within the U.S., paper is recycled at a price than glass — roughly 60 % versus 31 %. That stated, the bottles might probably introduce substances of concern, equivalent to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (aka PFAS), of their leak-prevention limitations. “It’s not a transparent and straightforward resolution,” Linich stated.
Most paper bottles stay obtainable solely in restricted portions. One notable exception is Goal’s Collective Good wine assortment, launched in April 2025. The preliminary launch of 4 varietals arrived in 256,000 bottles supplied by British firm Frugalpac, which additionally makes them for Monterey Wine Co. Frugalpac’s bottles require shoppers to separate a plastic pouch from the paper bottle; each are recyclable, in several bins.
Although the distinctive format of paper bottles provides necessary shelf differentiation, manufacturers must be “cognizant of greenwashing claims,” stated Brad Kurzynowski, supervisor of fiber for the Sustainable Packaging Coalition.
“The bottles are produced from a renewable useful resource and have an fascinating restoration pathway,” Kurzynowski stated. “However they’re additionally changing supplies with comparatively good recycling charges. There additionally must be consideration of one thing like lifecycle carbon footprint and the way a heavier bottle may carry out towards one thing like a light-weight plastic bottle.”
Absolut has stated little publicly about its final commercialization plans. Nonetheless, it imagine that paper bottles “introduce a brand new means for shoppers to assume in a different way,” stated Palmstierna.
“It’s about the fitting bundle for the fitting event,” she stated. “You may purchase a glass bottle for consumption over time, however in the event you’re internet hosting a celebration, paper is ideal,” “We need to change client habits, and we will’t be alone to try this.”
