Diageo trials paper-based Baileys bottles  

Diageo has announced new plans to trial paper-based packaging for Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur.

In partnership with PA Consulting, as part of the Bottle Collective with PA and PulPac, Diageo is trialling a dry molded fiber bottle which is 90 per cent paper, with a thin plastic liner and a foil seal. The bottle is designed for recycling in standard paper streams and does not require the consumer to separate the plastic liner from the paper bottle when disposing.

The 2,000-bottle trial with consumers on Baileys mini format (80ml) took place at Time Out Festival in Barcelona, Spain over the past weekend (25-26 May).

This is Diageo’s first consumer facing trial with paper-based bottles and will test how the bottles travel from the filling site in Ireland, to Barcelona, along with how consumers interact with the material, and how they understand the sustainability credentials of the paper bottle.

“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,” Ewan Andrew, president, global supply chain and procurement and chief sustainability officer at Diageo, commented.

“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.”

Jamie Stone, design and innovation expert at PA, said: “We are delighted that the Diageo Baileys Minis are now hitting the consumer market. Dry molded fiber bottles are a huge step forward, setting new standards in the world of more sustainable packaging. 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.”

Diageo is exploring paper formats across its wider portfolio. The company remains a committed member of the Pulpex consortium and continues to develop and internally test its concept Johnnie Walker paper-based bottle, which is still in development phase, along with other paper-based bottle concepts.

Diageo is also developing a Diageo-designed, spiral-wound paper-based bottle with Don Papa, the super-premium Filipino rum brand. The bottle is in feasibility testing and is expected to be 90 per cent paper-based.