Austrian packaging manufacturer Alpla (Hard; www.alpla.com) has become the new majority owner at Paboco (Paper Bottle Company, Slangerup, Denmark; www.paboco.com) – the joint venture with paper packaging specialist BillerudKorsnäs (Solna, Sweden; www.billerudkorsnas.com). The Swedish group is thus saying goodbye to the joint packaging project launched in 2019. Financial details were not disclosed. 

Paboco develops and produces fibre-based bottles for liquid goods. The containers, which are made with cellulose forming technology and coated on the inside, have already been tested by several branded companies in selected markets, including Procter & Gamble, Carlsberg, and Coca-Cola.

Related: Coca-Cola to test paper bottles in Hungary

Alpla plans to invest an undisclosed sum in expanding its production capacity. A new production site with a development centre is to be built in Denmark for the market launch at the end of 2024. Currently, 18 people are employed at Paboco, a number to be increased “significantly” by the start of series production.

“With the current bottle configuration, we are targeting the beauty and textile and household care segments,” said Tim Silbermann, CEO of Paboco since October 2023, but he noted that other areas of application are conceivable. According to chief executive, Alpla’s long-term goal is to develop and scale fully bio-based and recyclable paper bottles.