To reduce the extent of plastic pollution an organisation called The Bottle Collective is seeking to industrialise a recyclable high-speed, low-cost dry moulded fibre bottle process. This will enable the large scale production of branded alternatives to single-use and commodity plastic bottles. The technology has been developed by and PulPac, a Swedish R&D company together with PA Consulting (PA).
Two new companies joining the Bottle Collective are Sanofi and Haleon. The two firms are exploring the feasibility and co-development of cellulose-based technologies as alternatives to virgin petroleum based plastics that are commonly used for the packaging of consumer health products.
The starting material is pulp, but pulp in a different form. Pulp is a lignocellulosic fibrous material and the basis of many types of packaging materials. Pulp is traditionally prepared by chemically or mechanically separating cellulose fibres from starting materials (like wood, fibre crops, wastepaper, or rags).
The technology dry forms pulp fibre in a special way, using a process designed to be of a higher quality compared with other cellulose-based routes. The process works on the basis of applying a high pressure under a controlled temperature.
The process requires defibration, which takes place with an aggregate, a type of mechanical airflow impact mill with a peripheral grinding track.
The output – the dry pulp – has flexible working properties. The material is described as soft and absorbent while having manipulability and is the colour of the source material.
In terms of the sustainability advantages, the process uses only one-third of the quantity of water required with wet moulded pulp production. The raw material is derived from a renewable source, with the potential to use waste stream materials as input material. A further advantage is that the process requires no energy for drying and the drying process creates no wastewater. The process generates low levels of manufacturing waste due to reuse of fibres.
Sanna Fager, Chief Commercial Officer at PulPac, has outlined the benfits: “The Dry Molded Fiber technology is versatile and enables the production of pretty much any rigid, three-dimensional object you can think up, including bottles. We have created the technology to shape, add graphics, deboss, emboss, and choose colors, patterns, and prints to elevate brands.”
With the new development, Fager adds: “But time is running short, and we need committed changemakers like Sanofi and Haleon that take action and lead the way toward the sustainable packaging alternatives that the world and the industry desperately need.”
