PEF’s high-performance properties—including superior barrier protection for carbonated beverages and extended shelf life—make it a strong candidate for commercial fiber packaging. The material also allows for thinner packaging due to its mechanical strength, helping reduce overall material usage.
The Bottle Collective was formed in 2023 through a partnership between PA Consulting and PulPac, bringing to market Dry Molded Fiber (DMF) technology. This approach relies on renewable pulp and cellulose and avoids the water- and energy-intensive processes typical of traditional molded fiber packaging. The resulting packaging solution comes with reduced CO₂ emissions and improved production efficiency.
Avantium’s involvement marks a new phase in the Bottle Collective’s mission to make fiber bottles viable at scale. Since launch, the Collective has drawn several global partners, including packaging manufacturer Logoplaste and brand owners like Diageo, Haleon, and Opella.
The partnership is backed by technical and commercial alignment. PA Consulting’s Keith Thornley emphasized that integrating PEF helps unlock scalable solutions with reduced environmental impact. Logoplaste’s CTO Paulo Correia echoed this, noting that the collaboration delivers sustainability benefits without compromising performance.
Prototypes have already been developed and are undergoing validation, with PA Consulting overseeing the transition to commercial production. Avantium brings additional momentum through its pipeline of renewable polymers, particularly FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid), the base chemical for PEF, developed using its proprietary YXY® Technology. The company is currently building a commercial-scale FDCA plant in Delfzijl, the Netherlands, which is set to boost supply capabilities for future fiber bottle rollouts.
