Heinz Meanz Ketchup Will Come in ‘Bottle of Tomorrow’ Made Out of Wood Pulp

Ketchup company Heinz is set to replace plastic bottles with containers made of sustainably sourced wood pulp.

The renewable and recyclable ‘Ketchup Bottle of Tomorrow’ is being developed in partnership with Pulpex – an eco packaging solution – to develop a paper bottle for its world-famous tomato sauce.

The move is a step towards Kraft Heinz’s goals for sustainability which include making all of its packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025 and to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

The US-based multinational, which is the fifth largest food and beverage company in the world, already uses 30 per cent recycled plastic in their products along with recyclable caps.

It says the new paper bottles, created from wood pulp, have a 90 per cent lower carbon footprint than glass.

‘Packaging waste is an industry-wide challenge that we must all do our part to address,’ said Kraft Heinz CEO Miguel Patricio.

‘That is why we are committed to taking steps to explore sustainable packaging solutions across our brands at Kraft Heinz, offering consumers more choices.

‘This new bottle is one example of how we are applying creativity and innovation to explore new ways to provide consumers with the products they know and love while also thinking sustainably.’

But it will still be some time before consumers see the paper bottles of ketchup on the shelf as testing is still ongoing to ensure the material works well as a container for the popular sauce – including tapping the bottom of the bottle.

Pulpex has previously developed a paper bottle for beverage brand Johnnie Walker and is working with PepsiCo and Estée Lauder to create more sustainable packaging for their products.

‘We believe that the scope for paper-based packaging is huge, and when global household names like Heinz embrace this type of innovative technology, it’s good news for everyone – consumers and the planet,’ added Pulpex CEO Scott Winston.