Diageo Is Launching a Paper Bottle for Johnnie Walker

Expect the eco-friendly Scotch release sometime in 2021

Johnnie Walker
Same Scotch, new paper bottle for Johnnie Walker starting in 2021
Diageo

Paper or plastic?

Surprise: We’re talking about your booze bottle. And starting in 2021, that answer might be paper. Drinks giant Diageo has teamed up with venture management company Pilot Lite to create a paper-based bottle for its popular Johnnie Walker whisky line.

Pulpex Limited is the collaborative company that’s putting out the recyclable bottle, crafted from sustainably sourced wood. Other companies such as Pepsico and Unilever will also debut bottles via a partnership with Pulpex.

As the company suggests, their bottles are made using materials from 100% renewable feedstocks and responsibly managed forests (FSC), recyclable and PET free. They also promise that “soon” their bottles will be cheaper than most glass bottles and able to hold carbonated beverages and “hot fill” beverages.

It’s not the first announcement from a spirits brand for a paper bottle — that honor goes to Absolut.

And if you’re wondering why the companies don’t just go with glass, it’s because it takes a lot of energy to power glass furnaces, and that energy includes natural gas.

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