Coca-Cola will test market a paper bottle in Europe this summer as part of a strategy to eliminate or at least reduce plastic containers, the Atlanta-based company has announced.
The bottle will be used for Coke's AdeZ plant-based fruit drink and will get a sample run of about 2,000 bottles in Hungary, sold through an e-commerce vendor Kifli.hu, Coca-Cola said in a release.
Danish-startup The Paper Bottle Company, or Paboco, and Coke's research and development team created the prototype, which will also be tested by Carlsberg beer, L'Oreal cosmetics and Absolut vodka.
''The technology developed by Paboco is designed to create 100% recyclable bottles made of sustainably sourced wood with a bio-based material barrier capable of resisting liquids, CO2 and oxygen, and suitable for beverages, beauty products and other liquid goods,'' Coke said. ''The ultimate goal is a bottle that can be recycled as paper.''
The bottles, seven years in the making, will still include a plastic cap, but one that can be recycled, the company said.
The challenges with paper bottles are finding one in which the material doesn't flake or degrade into the product and can withstand the pressures of carbonated drinks, such as sodas and beer, which are bottled under pressure. Reportedly, a plant-based coating will line the inside of the bottles, the BBC reported.
"It's going to be a bio-based barrier, that's really something minimal, that keeps that food safe, that keeps the product safe at the same time," Paboco commercial manager Michael Michelsen said.
Additionally, the material needs to be moldable into several shapes and sizes for different brands and display ink for labels.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.