Coca-Cola testing a paper bottle

Soft drink manufacturers are facing pressure on two fronts: the amount of sugar in their drinks and the amount of plastic waste their products produce.

Coca-Cola is attempting to solve that second problem with the development and testing of a paper bottle, reports PCmag.

Coca-Cola has already pledged to collect a bottle or can for every one it sells by 2030 and offer 100 per cent recyclability and zero waste, so a paper bottle would go a long way towards achieving that. It's not a completely plastic-free bottle, though.

The bottle prototype was created in collaboration with Danish startup The Paper Bottle Company (Paboco). The paper comes from sustainably sourced wood, but there still needs to be a barrier between the carbonated liquid inside the bottle and the porous paper. For now, that's achieved using a 100 per cent recycled plastic lining and cap. Once used, Coca-Cola says the bottle is also 100 per cent recyclable. The goal is to remove plastic from the bottle completely.

A trial will now take place in Hungary in the second quarter of this year. 2,000 250ml bottles of the company's plant-based Adez drink will be offered via online grocery retailer kifli.hu.

"The trial we are announcing today is a milestone for us in our quest to develop a paper bottle," said Daniela Zahariea, Director of Technical Supply Chain & Innovation for Coca-Cola Europe. "People expect Coca-Cola to develop and bring to market new, innovative and sustainable types of packaging. That's why we are partnering with experts like Paboco, experimenting openly and conducting this first-in-market trial. It’s part of delivering on our World Without Waste goals."