Swedish startup company Blue Ocean Closures AB is partnering with The Absolut Company to develop an innovative, fibre-based screw cap for the iconic Absolut Vodka bottle.
Blue Ocean Closures (BOC), a member company of the Paper Province, a leading bioeconomy cluster in western Sweden, is the first in the world to develop and produce fibre-based, biodegradable and recyclable screw closures.
Now they are starting a collaboration with The Absolut Company, part of Pernod Ricard, to develop a fully recyclable screw cap, as an alternative to existing cap solutions.
We are proud to partner with Absolut Vodka in bringing an alternative closure to the market. My first job was on the factory floor at Absolut, so from my own experience I know that quality is put in focus, at all levels, said Lars Sandberg, CEO of Blue Ocean Closures.
The innovative design, created from bio-based materials, is fully recyclable as paper and biodegradable in the ocean and nature.
Made from biobased materials, the cap’s pioneering design reduces the amount of plastic used in packaging by combining a body made of sustainably sourced FSC fibre material with a thin top-seal barrier layer, making it recyclable as paper and ocean biodegradable.
Fully circular operations by 2025
Together, the companies will develop the cap for use on current glass bottles, as an addition to existing cap solutions as well as a possibility for future packaging innovations.
The partnership will see several iterations of the cap through prototyping and testing stages in 2022, with plans to share it commercially in 2023.
We are very excited to be working with a leading global brand like Absolut Vodka that has such a strong focus on sustainability. They add extensive knowledge to our development process, said Lars Sandberg.
The collaboration is part of a broad ambition of The Absolut Company and Pernod Ricard to create a fully circular business together with suppliers and partners, with the goal that one hundred percent of the company’s packaging can be reused, recycled, or composted by 2025.
As part of our circular efforts, we are delighted to be working with Blue Ocean Closures on innovative packaging development that contributes to a cleaner world and reduces the need for single-use materials, said Eric Näf, Director of Packaging Development at The Absolut Company.
