Johnnie Walker whiskey will be sold in recyclable paper bottles from 2021, announces Diageo

Johnnie Walker whiskey will be available in paper bottles from 2021. Diageo, the parent company of the global whisky brand, said that it will be the world’s first plastic-free paper-based spirits bottle. Diageo in a release claimed that it has created the world’s first ever 100 percent plastic-free paper-based spirits bottle, made entirely from sustainably sourced wood. “The bottle will debut with Johnnie Walker, the world’s number one Scotch Whisky, in early 2021,” it said. According to a report by CNBC, the development of paper bottle was done in collaboration between Diageo and venture management firm Pilot Lite, which in turn led to the development of a business called Pulpex Limited. Calling Pulpex Limited as a “sustainable packaging technology company”, Diageo said its paper bottle was both scalable and plastic free. According to a report by BBC, Pulpex will also manufacture packaging for Unilever and PepsiCo. The paper whisky bottle will be fully recyclable. The report mentions that drinks companies have been manufacturing paper bottles to cut down on pollution as well as make products more sustainable. As per a report by Vice, glass manufacturing requires the burning of fossil fuels—such as natural gas, light and heavy fuel oils and liquefied petroleum gas. The air emitted includes greenhouse gases, sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides. In the process, fine particulates that contain heavy metals such as arsenic and lead are also released. A report by Forbes mentions that Diageo’s announcement can be seen as a response to a similar initiative that was started by its competitors. Last year in October, Absolut Vodka partnered with Coca Cola, L’Oreal and Carlsberg to design and create scalable paper bottles with Paboco. Johnnie Walker whisky manufacturer Diageo also makes Smirnoff and Guinness.