Scitech, Pulpex and BASF. An award-winning collaboration

The Brief: We were asked to create a fully recyclable paper bottle, with the same barrier performance as glass and plastic. It had to be suitable to package drinks like  water and whiskey, and household products, such as laundry detergent, shampoo and vitamin tablets. With such an ambitious brief, we couldn’t wait to get stuck in.

Pulpex and BASF approached us in 2020 because of our expertise and knowledge in water-based chemistry. They asked Scitech to convert BASF’s high-performance materials into coatings with the required functionality which could also be applied through Pulpex’s paper bottle-making process.

What Scitech did: We conducted numerous trials testing different formulations to achieve the performance that consumers expect from these well-known products. It was essential that we maintained the safety of the product contained (i.e. food contact approval) and ensured that the bottle could be recycled through standard kerbside recycling infrastructure. 

The recyclability of the bottle was particularly important because research from Cepi in 2022 found paper recycling rates to be over 70%, significantly higher than plastic recycling rates. The joint ambition was that creating a paper-based alternative for consumer goods currently packaged in recyclable plastics would increase the likelihood of the packaging actually being recycled.

The Results: The development of an innovative, sustainable product offering commercial and environmental advantages and the creation of a long-term partnership between Scitech, Pulpex and BASF. This project has been recognised by the Royal Society of Chemistry, and was awarded The 2024 Innovation Through Partnership prize. The project is currently in the scale-up and process optimisation stage, with plans to launch the first product range by the end of 2024.

Get in touch with the team to find out more.