Alpla becomes majority owner of paper bottle

Paboco (The Paper Bottle Company) develops and produces Fibre-based packaging solutions using innovative cellulose forming technology. The company, based in Slangerup, Denmark, was founded in 2019 by Alpla and Billerud was founded as a joint venture. With the Acquisition of all shares in Billerud and the investment in Paboco, Alpla is accelerating the rapid industrialisation of the fully recyclable paper bottle made from FSC-certified fibres as the majority shareholder.

„Safety, affordability and sustainability are the key criteria for our packaging solutions. After several years of intensive development and pioneering innovations, the Paboco team is now ready to launch its ground-breaking product and establish the paper bottle as a sustainable alternative for a wide range of customers.“

Philipp Lehner, Alpla CEO

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Since 2021, Paboco has been testing its first products on the market together with the members of the Paboco Pioneer Community, The Absolut Company, Carlsberg Group, The Coca-Cola Company, L'Oréal and Procter & Gamble. Following the successful test phase Start series production of the next generation of recyclable paper bottles from the end of 2024.

„The vision of the fully bio-based and recyclable paper bottle has led the team to achieve amazing results in just a short development time. With the current bottle configuration, we are targeting the beauty care and textile and home care segments, but continued development will allow us to utilise our next generation bottle in other applications as well. We are delighted that Alpla is fully committed to supporting us on this journey.“

Tim Silbermann, CEO of Paboco

For the market launch, the company is planning Construction of a new, state-of-the-art production site with a development centre in Denmark. Paboco currently employs 18 people - the number of employees is set to increase significantly by the start of series production. Paboco's long-term goal is to Development and scaling of fully bio-based and recyclable paper bottles. The company can count on the support of Alpla.

„We at Alpla occupy us with alternative materials and invest in promising projects and are actively shaping technological progress as a ‚family of pioneers‘,“ emphasises Christian Zmölnig, Director Corporate Research, Development & Innovation at Alpla and Chairman of the Board of Directors at Paboco. The newly formed Board of Directors of Paboco is completed by Ricardo Rehm, CFO of Alpla, and Rainer Widmar, Managing Director Central and Eastern Europe at Alpla. The transaction took place at the beginning of October. The contracting parties have agreed not to disclose any details.

Source: Alpla