UK-based soft drinks brand Britvic is developing a bottle from sustainably sourced, renewable and fully recyclable wood fibre materials.
The company revealed in its latest sustainability report that the bottle, still in early development, is one of several potential solutions at this point.
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In a tie-up with Innovate UK and Natural Resources (2000), the soft drinks manufacturer has been working to revolutionise packaging across multiple sectors with renewable wood fibre materials.
The work on the new wood fibre packaging technology is part of Britvic’s broader R&D work stream within the sustainability strategy in 2016.
The research process into fibre and pulp has given essential information for Britvic’s R&D team to explore further alternative packaging solutions.
Britvic chief supply chain officer Clive Hooper said: “At Britvic, we know that to be a successful business in the long term we must be a sustainable business and this means listening to the needs of our consumers, our customers, our communities, and our employees.
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By GlobalData“We understand that packaging and the environmental impact of waste is a major concern and we’re committed to working collaboratively with others to explore innovative solutions.
“The wood fibre bottle is a great example of what potentially can be done and its development has provided great insight into what will and won’t work in terms of quality standards and mass production in the future. We’re now working hard to take our learnings from the fibre bottle to investigate fibre-based sustainable packaging materials further.”
Besides investment in R&D, Britvic’s sustainability strategy focuses on environmental initiatives at the core of the business.
The company stated that it is currently halfway through a £240m supply chain investment programme to maximise efficiency across its manufacturing sites, reduce waste and improve its environmental footprint.
Under the programme, Britvic has invested £25m at its plant in Leeds, UK to create a new high-speed bottling line.
The update has resulted in a 22% reduction in water use and a 45% reduction in energy consumption relative to production volumes.
Image: Britvic’s new bottles made from renewable wood fibre materials. Photo: courtesy of Britvic.
