A fibre-based bottle, manufactured from sustainably sourced wood pulp and designed to be recycled in the same way as paper or card, has gain fiancé that will kick start its scaled production.

The bottle manufacturer, Pulpex, has gained £62m of investment led by the National Wealth Fund (NWF) and the Scottish National Investment Bank (SNIB) for the company’s first commercial-scale manufacturing facility near Glasgow that can produce 50 million bottles per annum.

John Flint, NWF CEO, said: “We need to recycle more and unlock the growth potential of the circular economy. That requires sophisticated, long-term investment, both in infrastructure and packaging innovation. Exciting technological advancements like Pulpex are a great example of that potential. But they need catalytic investment to scale and commercialise. Through financing Pulpex’s new facility in Glasgow, we will help remove barriers to future investment from private capital and lay the foundations for further growth.”

Pulpex currently operates out of its existing R&D and pilot production facility at its headquarters in Cambridge and has existing partnerships with some of the largest global FMCG brands, including Diageo, Unilever and Kraft Heinz, through which it is developing bespoke products for launch.

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