PA Consulting partners with PulPac on Bottle Collective

PA Consulting, a global innovation and transformation firm, and PulPac, the Swedish R&D firm behind the Dry Molded Fiber plastic alternative, have launched the "Bottle Collective" to drive forward adoption of the technology.

The Bottle Collective includes various brand partners and aims to develop and scale fiber bottles as an alternative to single-use plastic bottles across food, drink, consumer health, and fast-moving consumer packaged goods.

PA’s design, engineering, and materials sciences teams have already worked with PulPac to develop functioning prototypes. Dry Molded Fiber technology uses renewable pulp and cellulose to produce low-cost fiber-based packaging. PulPac's patented manufacturing process uses less CO2 than plastic options, and no water.

Fiber bottles have applications across packaging water, dairy, non-carbonated beverages, detergent, skin care, hair care, and other products. The product can be molded to custom shapes, sizes, and decorations.

“Together with leading global consumer brand partners, we can fast-track the development of the world’s first Dry Molded Fiber bottle,” said Tony Perrotta, PulPac partnership lead at PA Consulting. “We have the technology. We have a functioning prototype and process. We are now ready to enter the next stage – demonstration that our Dry Molded Fiber bottles are capable of being produced at the speed, volume, and cost necessary to match the massive scale of this global industry challenge.”

PA’s innovation consultants have helped create various breakthrough products, including the first self-service parking system, the world’s first private digital telephone exchange, and the original brushless servo motor.

The firm helps clients accelerate new growth ideas from concept through design, development, and commercial success. PA also supports organizations in transforming their leadership, culture, systems, and processes to support innovation.

The consultancy has more than 4,000 employees across Europe and the US.

“Plastic bottles are the holy grail of plastic replacement. They have an estimated annual production volume of up to 500 billion pieces and are a significant source of plastic pollution worldwide,” said Sanna Fager, chief commercial officer at PulPac. “Backed by strong partnerships across the value chain, we can bring competitive unit cost into the fiber-bottle space, enabling the shift away from today’s single use plastic. We encourage all brands and relevant industry actors to join this force for sustainable change.”