Absolut, a Swedish premium vodka brand, has partnered with Blue Ocean Closures to unveil a paper-based bottle and cap duo as part of its progress toward fully biobased packaging. The cap was tested for the first time at the “Absolut The Map” event, wher bartenders evaluated its performance in real-world conditions.

The cap combines a body made of over 95% FSC-certified fibers and a thin plastic top-seal barrier. Absolut aims to replac plastic with biobased material in the future, creating caps made entirely from renewable resources.

Louise Werner, director future packaging at Absolut, says: “2023 saw the development of the Absolut paper-based bottle, a pioneering initiative that helped us push boundaries toward our fully biobased bottle. However, the final piece of the puzzle remained. Creating real impact is hard and change can only come about as a collective endeavour so we are thrilled to partner with Blue Ocean Closures to help us on the journey.”

This innovation is part of French wine and spirits group Pernod Ricard’s “Future of Packaging” initiative, which aims to promote more sustainable packaging choices around the packaging of their spirits. The paper-based cap is recyclable as paper in markets that have recycling systems in place that can separate paper from other materials.

Noémie Bauer, chief sustainability officer at Pernod Ricard, says: “We remain committed to challenging ourselves to drive innovation in sustainability. This new step into the future of packaging highlights our ongoing commitment to shifting the dial toward minimizing the impact of our products and being transparent about this process — the trials and the achievements.”

“We are hoping to inspire progress across the wider drinks ecosystem, pushing us further toward a more sustainable future.”

The next phase includes additional quality testing, followed by a limited in-market trial to explore consumer response.