Coca-Cola announced Thursday that the company will begin its first consumer test of bottles made mostly of paper this summer.
According to a press release, the company will sell 2,000 paper bottles of AdeZ — a plant-based beverage — online in Hungary through e-retailer Kifli.hu this summer.
Coca-Cola initially announced plans to develop bottles made entirely of paper in November.
However, the “first-generation” bottles that will hit the market this summer will still include a thin “plastic liner” under the paper shell. The bottle will also include a plastic cap. The company says the plastic elements of the paper bottle will be made entirely of recycled plastic.
True to our #WorldWithoutWaste vision, we are bringing our #PaperBottle prototype to consumer trial in Hungary with our plant-based #Adez drink in the innovative packaging created with #Paboco.
— Coca-Cola EU Dialogue (@CocaCola_EU) February 11, 2021
Learn More 👉 https://t.co/PEbdCGZzvy @EU_ENV #EUGreenDeal #AdeZPaperBottle pic.twitter.com/VUSnfH9wWp
The company says it’s still working out the logistics of using entirely paper bottles with carbonated beverages. According to the BBC, Coca-Cola faces the challenge of finding materials that are strong enough so the bottles can be filled under pressure, sturdy enough so the paper won’t flake away and alter the taste of drinks and pliable enough to meet brand demands of unique bottle shapes.
Coca-Cola’s attempts to create paper bottles are part of the company’s goal to reach net-zero waste by 2030. According to a press release, Coca-Cola hopes to “collect and recycle a bottle or can for every one it sells” by the end of the decade.