Absolut has successfully tested a paper-based cap and bottle combination, which is the first of its type on the market. This is part of the company’s ongoing ambition to produce a bottle that is 100% biobased. The cap was made in partnership with Blue Ocean Closures (BOC), a Swedish start-up that has formed a pioneer community to find new methods to wrap things in fibres instead of plastics. A group of bartenders put the bottle and cap through its first test during an event in May.
Absolut has always tried to reach long-term environmental goals and push the boundaries with its packaging. When the brand partnered up with Paboco (Paper Bottle Company) to make “Absolut Paper” in 2023, it got a lot of attention. Absolut successfully tried out the single-mould paper-based bottles at a number of Tesco stores in the UK.
Absolut wanted to make a difference, so they looked into the final portion, which was a paper-based cap. There weren’t any decent solutions on the market, so Absolut partnered with BOC to create one.
The first version of the hat will include a body made of more than 95% FSC certified fibres and a thin plastic top-seal barrier. We want to replace the plastic with a biobased material in the long term so that the complete cap is made of things that can be used again. A hat made largely from renewable resources could already have a less carbon footprint than a cap made from common elements like aluminium. The cap may be recycled as paper if the market provides ways to distinguish paper from other components.
The paper cap is part of Pernod Ricard’s Future of Packaging concept, which seeks to allow companies and consumers more flexibility to think about how they package their spirits. The “Absolut The Map” event in May was the first time that bartenders could try out the new notion of a paper-based cap and bottle. The test aimed to find out how well the cap functioned, how simple it was to use, and what people thought of it when they used it in “real life.” In the next steps of the development process, there will be further quality testing and eventually a small market trial.
Commenting on the launch, Louise Werner, Director Future Packaging at Absolut says: “2023 saw the development of the Absolut paper-based bottle, a pioneering initiative that helped us push boundaries towards our fully biobased bottle. However, the final piece of the puzzle remained. Creating real impact is hard and change can only come about as a collective endeavour so we are thrilled to partner with Blue Ocean Closures to help us on the journey.”
Noémie Bauer, Chief Sustainability Officer at Pernod Ricard says: “We remain committed to challenging ourselves to drive innovation in sustainability. This new step into the future of packaging highlights our ongoing commitment to shifting the dial towards minimising the impact of our products and being transparent about this process – the trials and the achievements. We are hoping to inspire progress across the wider drinks ecosystem, pushing us further towards a more sustainable future.”
Lars Sandberg, CEO at Blue Ocean Closures commented, “We are proud to partner with Absolut Vodka, a leader when it comes to packaging innovation, in bringing the paper-based cap to life. Real change must be a collective effort, and we are excited to learn from the feedback received by bartenders attending this trial.”
