Absolut's innovative paper bottles, developed in collaboration with the Paper Bottle Company, were launched at 22 Tesco stores in Greater Manchester and will be stocked for three months. The paper-based bottles have an integrated plastic barrier and are 57% paper with most of the remaining material being plastic and are fully recyclable via rubbish collections in the region. Absolut aims to collect feedback from consumers, retailers and supply chain partners to inform future commercial developments towards a fully bio-based bottle.
Beverage companies are using organoleptic testing for insight into how or if paper bottles affect product flavor.
Paper-based bottles have been making sustainability and beverage packaging headlines in recent months, with brand owners such as Carlsberg, Coca-Cola, L’Oréal, and Pernod Ricard’s The Absolut Co. developing paper bottles for alcohol and non-alcohol drinks (see the packages in the slideshow).
Organoleptic testing plays an important role in their development efforts. Using taste tests, brand owners and their packaging suppliers can determine how well the package protects beverages from flavor degradation.
Here is a status report on two projects already in the works: