Better bottles? Yes, made of paper

Every minute, one million plastic bottles are purchased worldwide, many of them ending up in our oceans. According to a study from Ghent University, people who regularly eat seafood ingest up to 11,000 tiny pieces of plastic each year.

Another study, from Plymouth University, found that one-third of all fish caught in the UK contained small pieces of plastic. Unless we clean up our act there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans by 2050, according to a report from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

So how can the forest help?

Welcome the paper bottle. The biodegradable paper bottle, currently under development by BillerudKorsnäs and EcoXpac, might be part of the solution. The average plastic bottle takes 450 years to degrade and glass bottles take a lot longer. In contrast, once fully developed the paper bottle may be able to break down in just seven weeks.

This bottle is made from sustainably sourced wood fibre, using a manufacturing process that has a lower impact on the environment than those for glass and plastic bottles.

Much lower impact on evironment

Designed as a container for carbonated beverages, it can also be used for food, cosmetics, hygiene products and so on. While not yet in production, the paper bottle will do wonders for the environment when it hits the shelves.