Jabil Packaging Solutions, a division of Jabil Inc., will roll out a prototype bottle for Nestle's Vittel brand that combines paper and plastic.
The Eco.Bottle has a plastic inner made from recycled plastic that is 100 percent recyclable, including its cap. The bottle features a patent-pending tear strip that allows the paper and plastic components to be easily separated by consumers at the end of life for efficient recycling.
St. Petersburg, Fla.-based Jabil said in a news release that it uses 50 percent less plastic than the existing Vittel 1-liter bottle.
The product platform has been designed for scalability by a team that included Ecologic Brands. Jabil acquired Ecologic in February.
Constructed of 80 percent paper and only 20 percent recycled plastic, both the plastic and the paper components are 100 percent recyclable.
The outer shell is made from certified Forest Stewardship Council reclaimed and recycled material. The plastic liner uses just 9.2 grams of recycled plastic.
The two-shell system, enabled by interlocking paper tabs, allows for nesting during transit and warehousing. This eliminates extra space in the supply chain and has the potential to lessen the amount of trucks needed for delivery by 50-60 percent.
"True innovation in sustainable packaging requires a holistic view of the product that goes beyond aesthetics, material selection and design features," said Julie Corbett, senior business unit director of Jabil and founder of Ecologic Brands.
"Jabil's Box-to-Bottle manufacturing platform allows us to take our customers' waste and incorporate it into our manufacturing process within our facilities in Manteca, California and Tortosa, Spain.," said Jason Paladino, senior vice president of Jabil and CEO of Jabil Packaging Solutions. "This fully accountable and traceable manufacturing platform provides forward-thinking brands like Vittel with unparalleled visibility into the circularity of their products."
The Vittel hybrid bottle project began in 2020. Consumer testing in Europe will begin in June and the bottle will be showcased to the media during the upcoming Tour de France, taking place June 26-July 18.