Johnnie Walker whisky to be sold in plastic-free paper bottles from 2021

Johnnie Walker, one of the most popular global whisky brands, has announced that it would run a trial run of the whisky using bottles made of paper rather than glass.

Diageo, the parent company of Johnnie Walker, said that this environmental friendly packaging will begin in early 2021 and that the paper would come from sustainably sourced wood pulp.

According to the website, it is the “world’s first ever 100% plastic free paper-based spirits bottle.”

Diageo will collaborate with Pilot Lite to launch Pulpex Limited, a new sustainable packaging technology company, which is also due to produce such packaging material for FMCG organizations such as PepsiCo and Unilever, both of which are expected to launch their paper bottles by next year.

In the official announcement, Diageo’s chief sustainability officer, Ewan Andrew, said, “We’re proud to have created this world first. We are constantly striving to push the boundaries within sustainable packaging and this bottle has the potential to be truly ground-breaking. It feels fitting that we should launch it with Johnnie Walker, a brand that has often led the way in innovation throughout its 200 years existence.”

But this is not Diageo’s first initiative into the sustainable whisky bottle arena. In June 2020, Diageo announced the Seagram 7 Crown whisky will also use recycled plastic.

However, Diageo is not the only organization that has made a foray into sustainable spirit bottles. Many drinks companies are taking various initiatives to make more sustainable products. For instance, in October last year, Absolut Vodka collaborated with paper packaging company Paboco to create scalable paper bottles. Meanwhile, Carlsberg is also in the process of creating paper beer bottles.

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