Plastic pollution is a major problem that concerns all of us.
So, with consumers looking for more sustainable choices, brands need to bring more responsible decisions and adapt their products accordingly.
Coca-Cola is no exception. The brand had to reconsider its business practices after it was discovered they’re the worst polluting brand globally, multiple years in a row.
They followed through on their promises and released a prototype of a sustainable paper bottle that may aid in the reduction of their contribution to plastic pollution.
Coca-Cola’s Sustainable Paper Bottles
The paper bottles were developed in collaboration with the Danish company Paboco or the Paper Bottle Company that specializes in the production of recyclable packaging.
This concept carries a lot of challenges because it needs to make paper bottles as effective as plastic.
The prototype had to solve many obstacles, one of which may be obvious to the people who’ve used plastic straws. That is, how to prevent the soda from soaking the bottle and destroying it?
To solve it, they applied a thin layer of plastic between the liquid and the paper. The business development manager at Paboco, Michael Michelsen, explains that this is a bio-based barrier and it’s very minimal.
It will ensure the food and the product are safe.
Another challenge is the need for added pressure when bottling soda. The bottle needs to be airtight to avert gas from leaving or anything falling into the soda.
The paper has to be adaptable to the new marketing campaigns and design as its plastic or metal counterparts.
Solutions to questions like: can paper be changed to fit new bottle designs? and can ink be printed on the bottle? didn’t come easy and the company had to dedicate seven years to the experimentation prior to the release.
Where Will the First Trail Take Place?
The testing of the new paper Coca-Cola bottles will happen in Hungary through Coca-Cola’s fruit drink Adez in the second half of 2021.
For the purposes of the trial, 2000 bottles of 250 ml will be sold through one of the fastest-growing Hungarian online grocery retail chains, kifli. hu. Michelsen explains that they have a good understanding of the processes that the bottle will go through as it’s placed in the real world.
This trial is a milestone in Coca-Cola’s quest for a paper bottle. People expect the brand to develop and bring innovation and they’ve delivered.
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