In partnership with PA Consulting, as part of the Bottle Collective with PA and PulPac, Diageo will trial a dry molded fiber bottle which is 90% paper, with a thin plastic liner and a foil seal.
The 2,000-bottle trial with consumers will be applied on the Baileys mini format (80ml) at Time Out Festival in Barcelona, Spain, which takes place between 25 and 26 May.
This is the first trial of its nature that Diageo has authorised and will test how the bottles travel from the Baileys filling site in Ireland to Spain.
Paper bottles have adopted by a number of drinks manufacturers in the UK already, with Aldi switching its entire own brand wine range to Frugalpac-designed bottles in March 2024.
Commenting on the move, Diageo chief sustainability officer Ewan Andrew said: “When it comes to our packaging, we’re taking an approach of progress over perfection, knowing our packaging will need to evolve along with consumer needs and technological advancements.
“The consumer is becoming more sustainability savvy and we believe we can meet that need using our design and innovation to bring premium products and more sustainable solutions together.”
Meanwhile, design and innovation expert at PA Jamie Stone said the firm was delighted to see Diageo trialling its paper bottles across the Baileys mini format.
“Dry molded fiber bottles are a huge step forward, setting new standards in the world of more sustainable packaging,” added Stone.
“But this is only the beginning. PulPac’s dry molded fiber technology has immense potential: not only is it water-saving, energy-efficient and recyclable, but it is also viable at commercial manufacturing speeds and scale. Working with Diageo and other organisations through our Bottle and Blister Pack Collectives has enabled us to pool resources and dramatically accelerate the time to market for this important innovation.”
In other news, Adnams has published its financial results for the 12 months to 31 December 2023, during which time it suffered a pre-tax loss of £4m.
