Paboco has reached animportant milestone – a first prototype of the next generation paper bottle.Together with the Paboco - Paper Bottle Community we have made major progression our innovation journey.

Two years ago, we defined our mission and what we are dedicated to technically solve. Paboco wants to change the industry for good by developing recyclable and 100% biobased paper bottles at scale.

“This milestone is for Paboco the next and most exciting step on our innovation journey to deliver recyclable and fully biobased paper bottles. We have invested for 2 years into this development and are proud to present the first prototype now. We know there is still a lot of work ahead to offer this at scale, but each step brings us closer to that target.” says Florian Müller, CTO at Paboco.

So, what is new?
‍We have managed to fully integrate the barrier – the coating that separates the liquid from the paper – into the paper bottle itself.

What has improved with this new prototype?
‍We have replaced the plastic barrier film with a new fully integrated bio-based barrier coating. The amount of barrier vs. paper and the bottle weight will significantly decrease.We have integrated a paper thread so the closure can be applied directly on the paper bottle.

‍What about the closure?
‍We are developing and testing different closure solutions. The target is to also here be fully biobased either by using a bio composite or just pure paper.

Will the paper bottle still be recyclable, and will it be plastic free?
‍Yes, it will be recycled as paper in the paper recycling stream. Now when we can integrate the barrier, we are testing different biobased coatings, including bioplastics. The important thing for us now is to ensure the recyclability, low carbon footprint and to use as little barrier material as possible and still ensure good product quality. 

What input and insights have the different community members brought to the development of the bottle?
‍Since we collaborate across the value chain, we all contribute to the project with our respective know how and expertise. We share insights and learnings from technical and consumer trials, we discuss, develop, and solve topics where we see synergies and that are essential to all partners and to progress the project. Such as technical development, LCA results, recycling, digital printing, responsible sourcing, and consumer insights.

“Paboco together with our partners are on an innovation journey. We need to collaborate because we know how challenging this is to solve, but as industry leaders, we do not rest until we have reached our vision. For us, the most important thing is that with each step we take, we reduce our climate impact by reducing the use of plastics and scaling up production capacity and improve efficiency. ”says Gittan Schiöld interim CEO/CCO at Paboco

When do you expect to see the finished product on the shelves?
‍We now have a proven prototype that works for liquid. Next phase is to finalize the closure solution and conduct joint quality testing with our partners and their respective products. In parallel Paboco will focus on scaling the technology.

As previously announced our first-generation bottles will be on the shelves for testing this year in 2021 to collect learnings throughout the value chain from supply, logistics,consumer experience, recycling etc. We expect that next generation will be available to the market within one and a half years.

Thanks to our collaborators, industry leaders and friends at The Absolut Company, Carlsberg Group, L’Oréal, The Coca Cola Company,BillerudKorsnäs and Alpla we can make this innovation journey for a more sustainable future happen.