Paboco “breaks ground” with paper bottle closure, targets market delivery for 2023

04 Apr 2022 --- The Paper Bottle Company (Paboco) is revealing a new advanced paper closure, described as a “groundbreaking development,” in collaboration with Blue Ocean Closures. The paper closure moves Paboco closer to its target of developing a recyclable and fully biobased paper bottle ready for the market by 2023.

“We are very proud to share the next generation bottles with a fitting fiber closure. This sets another milestone in our defined development journey toward a fully fiber-based bottle in every hand. Next, we will start our developed coating line and build manufacturing equipment to enable mass production for market introduction in 2023,” says Florian Müller, the chief technology officer at Paboco. 

Over the past year, Paboco has focused on the application method of a barrier coating on the inside of its paper bottle. “We have our first coating line in place, enabling production of more bottles for quality testing of our pioneer brand’s products,” says the company. 

The paper bottle generation has a thin PE coating suitable for products that need a water vapor barrier. The company also aims to replace the PE with a biobased version to get another step closer to creating fully biobased and recyclable packaging in the future. 

The paper challenge 
Carbonated beverages and more sensitive products are a challenge for paper packaging. To overcome such challenges, Paboco is further developing its barrier material. The company explains that the first step is to ensure product quality, meaning a continuous layer of coating material applied across the inside surface of the bottle without voids that can contain liquids over a longer time period. 

Paboco has been working to create a fully paper-based bottle solution for years.“Our primary target is to ensure recyclability and repulpability of the paper fibers, a bottle with low carbon footprint and use as little barrier material as possible and still ensure good product quality.”

This version has a thin PE coating that is a common barrier material for paper in the recycling stream with high availability and known barrier properties.

“With our new coating technology, we are testing other biobased barrier materials and properties. Our innovation journey will never stop, and we will always advance to improve our environmental sustainability footprint,” it says. 

Closing the challenge  
In a group of development partners, Paboco is now prototyping the paper closure that fits its paper threaded neck. Blue Ocean Closures is the first to develop this concept for fiber-based screw cap solutions in an industrial capacity. 

The design is a combination of a thin top-seal barrier layer, possible to combine with different types of filled goods and a body made of sustainably sourced fiber material. This has been a central target and why we have put a lot of effort into developing a paper threaded neck to avoid adding process steps and maximize the fiber material as much as possible.

“We are minimizing plastic content with every development step, and bringing in a fiber-based cap is the next logical step. Our paper bottle and this closure look and feel amazing, and I can’t wait to give this into consumers’ hands,” says Tim Silbermann, product development manager at Paboco. 

Cosmetics, home care and still drinks will be among the first to market, but Paboco says it is keeping its eyes out for other areas that could benefit from these innovation results.

“If the paper closure development takes longer, we will initially use standard closure solutions depending on the product that can be applied directly on our paper threaded neck. For example, screw caps, pump dispensers, peel-off lids and other solutions – depending on the need for the brand and product.”

LCA developments 
Paboco is also updating its life cycle assessment to show what paper bottle production looks like at its starting scale. 

A spokesperson from Paboco says the company has high expectations of a low carbon footprint since it only uses FSC certified wood fibers and produces low weighted rigid paper bottles with a high recyclability rate in the paper recycling stream.

Paboco is also a member of the 4evergreen Alliance, and works to contribute to raising the overall recycling rate of fiber-based packaging to 90% by 2030.

Fiber-based packaging is already a vital contributor to the circular economy. Innova Market Insights listed it as a top trend for 2021, noting a “Fiber-Based Frenzy” is underway in the packaging market as tighter legislative restrictions on plastic-based materials come into force around the world.  

By Louis Gore-Langton