This article was first published on Convenience & Impulse Retailing, authored by Deborah Jackson

Kraft Heinz has partnered with sustainable packaging technology company Pulpex to become the first sauce brand to develop a paper-based bottle.

The innovative bottle design will be renewable and recyclable, made from 100 per cent sustainably sourced wood pulp, and is the latest step in Kraft Heinz’s journey to reducing its environmental footprint.

It progresses the company’s sustainable packaging ambitions, in that it aligns with its goal to make all packaging globally recyclable, reusable, or compostable by 2025. It is also an innovation that will help Kraft Heinz achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Heinz and Pulpex are developing a prototype to test how the cutting-edge innovation could be used for Heinz Tomato Ketchup bottles and other packaging formats in years to come.

Pulpex’s current data indicates the carbon footprint of Pulpex bottles is materially less than glass and plastic on a bottle-by-bottle basis. Once used, they are also expected to be widely and readily recyclable in paper waste streams.

Miguel Patricio, CEO, Kraft Heinz, said that packaging waste is an industrywide challenge that we must all do our part to address.

“That is why we are committed to taking steps to explore sustainable packaging solutions across our brands at Kraft Heinz, offering consumers more choices. This new Heinz bottle is one example of how we are applying creativity and innovation to explore new ways to provide consumers with the products they know and love while also thinking sustainably.”

The next step in the process will involve prototype testing to assess performance before testing with consumers and bringing the bottle to market.

Rashida La Lande, EVP & Global General Counsel and Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer, Kraft Heinz, said the company is eager to continue discovering more sustainable packaging methods for its brands.

“We hope to bring this bottle to market and to be the first sauce brand to provide consumers this choice in their purchasing decisions, as many consumers today are looking for more sustainable packaging options.”

The pulp-based bottle would become the newest option available to Heinz Tomato Ketchup fans, joining the recyclable Heinz iconic glass bottle and plastic bottle, as well as plastic squeeze bottles with their 30 per cent recycled content (available only in the EU) and 100 per cent recyclable caps.