200-year-old whiskey brand Johnnie Walker will experiment with paper-based bottles beginning next year.

 

Johnnie Walker is owned by British spirits company Diageo, who says it's looking for ways to use less plastic across all its brands. To produce the fully-recyclable plastic-free packaging, the company will launch a firm called Pulpex. Pulpex will produce packaging using sustainably-sourced wood pulp for Diageo and other drinks companies, including PepsiCo.

 

Johnnie Walker is primarily sold in glass bottles, but other Diageo brands use plastic. Making bottles from glass still does create carbon emissions, as it takes lots of energy to power glass furnaces. Many use natural gas to melt materials like sand and limestone.

 

Public pressure for companies to become more sustainable has been mounting. In Europe, an estimated 8.2 million tons of plastic were used to package food and drink in 2018.