Diageo trials Dry Molded Fiber bottle for Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur

23 May 2024 --- Alcohol industry giant Diageo is trialing a Dry Molded Fiber bottle for its Baileys, the Original Irish Cream Liqueur, in partnership with PA Consulting, as part of the Bottle Collective. The bottle employs PulPac’s technology and is 90% paper-based, with a thin plastic liner and foil seal.

The 2,000-bottle consumer trial will be on the brand’s mini format (80 mL) at the Time Out Festival in Barcelona, Spain, from May 25 to 26. It is Diageo’s first consumer-facing trial with paper-based bottles, and it will test how the bottles travel from the filling site in Ireland to Barcelona, how consumers interact with the material and how they understand the sustainability credentials of the paper bottle.

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.

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

“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 Consulting, asserts that Dry Molded Fiber bottles are “a huge step forward, setting new standards in the world of more sustainable packaging.” 

“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 organizations through our Bottle and Blister Pack Collectives has enabled us to pool resources and dramatically accelerate the time to market for this important innovation,” comments Stone.

Material rethink
In March, Diageo announced the trial of 30,000 bottles of Baileys in an aluminum format across selected European airports (Copenhagen, Amsterdam and Frankfurt), with an anticipated 44% reduction in carbon versus the current glass bottle.

The trial will test how the paper bottles travel from the filling site in Ireland to Barcelona.Diageo is also exploring paper formats across its wider portfolio. As a member of the Pulpex consortium, the company 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. 

The global beverage company is developing a Diageo-designed, spiral-wound paper-based bottle with Don Papa, a Filipino rum brand. The bottle is in feasibility testing and is expected to be 90% paper-based. 

The Don Papa bottle is designed to remove the cardboard gift box around the bottle, in line with Diageo’s announcement in 2022 to start a program to remove the cardboard gift boxes in its premium scotch portfolio to reduce excess packaging. It is being rolled out in a phased approach over the coming years. 

The company details that it is looking at other packaging formats to address its sustainability goals. Through Diageo Sustainable Solutions, it is trialing lightweighting its glass bottles using a novel coating developed by Exxergy. 

Following a successful first stage, Diageo has invested in the second round of lab testing and will work with supply chain partners Ardagh and Dassault Systemes toward completion. 

“The trials of the new packaging formats support Diageo’s wider 10-year ESG action plan ‘Society 2030: Spirit of Progress’. Diageo’s packaging contributes one-third to its total Scope 3 carbon footprint, and the innovative new options contribute toward reducing this,” shares the company.

The company also collaborated with Eco Spirits for its Gordon’s gin, Captain Morgan rum and Smirnoff vodka to distribute in a 4.5 L Eco Tote, which functions like a keg.

Meanwhile, Packaging Insights highlighted how the glass industry is doubling down on innovation to sustain glass’ long-standing position in the alcohol sector as companies move toward alternative materials such as paper and PET.

By Radhika Sikaria