Pulpex secures multi-million investment to build fiber bottle factory in Scotland
UK-based Pulpex has announced £62 million (US $78.5 million) in funding from the National Wealth Fund (NWF) and the Scottish Investment Bank for the construction of a manufacturing factory near Glasgow, Scotland.
Pulpex develops fiber-based bottles free from plastic and manufactured from eco-friendly sourced wood pulp suitable for beverages, sauces, and personal care products. Scott Winston, CEO of Pulpex, speaks to Packaging Insights about the investment and its impact on fiber-based packaging manufacturing in the UK.
“The investment will finance the construction of Pulpex’s first commercial-scale manufacturing facility near Glasgow. As well as creating 35 new jobs, it will help generate the conditions for growth in Scotland and the wider alternative packaging sector,” says Winston.
The NWF will provide £43.5 million (US$55 million) and the Scottish Investment Bank £10 million (US$12.6 million), allowing Pulpex to build its first commercial-scale manufacturing facility. The factory, says Pulpex, is expected to produce 50 million bottles annually.
Winston adds: “Pulpex enables brands to rethink their packaging proposition and achieve their sustainability goals at an industrial scale. Made with natural materials from renewable sources that can be recycled as paper in existing waste streams, Pulpex bottles have a lower carbon footprint — 90% less than glass and 30% less than PET.”
Pulpex operates out of its facility in Cambridge, UK, and already has partnerships with Diageo, Unilever, and Kraft Heinz to produce its fiber-based bottles.
“Our innovative bottling solution will aid the decarbonization of the packaging industry and help accelerate the UK’s Net Zero goals as we drive clean power delivery by 2030. As a cornerstone of the UK Government’s Plan for Change, this first investment in Scotland from the new NWF is designed to boost business, create jobs, and raise living standards,” says Winston.
Green innovation
The Pulpex facility in Scotland is expected to produce 50 million bottles annually.Winston highlights that the investment is critical for the “industrialization of this technology and its future uptake and adoption by packaging manufacturers and their customers.”
According to a NWF publication, the UK government established the fund in October 2024 under the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves. The NWF aims to mobilize investments in the UK’s clean energy and growth industries.
John Flint, CEO at the NWF, says: “We need to recycle more and unlock the growth potential of the circular economy. Exciting technological advancements like Pulpex are a great example of that potential. 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.”
Concern for plastic bottle waste
According to a report titled “Plastic bottles: Turning Back the Plastic Tide” by the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee, the UK uses 38.5 million plastic bottles daily, of which 15 million are not recycled.
Pulpex says its fiber-based solutions create biodegradable end-products with a lower carbon impact than glass or plastic packaging formats. Investments from the NWF and the Scottish National Bank are “critical” to the industrialization of green technology and its adoption by packaging manufacturers.
Pulpex is developing paper-based packaging for liquids alongside the University of Surrey as part of the joint SustaPack project, which recently secured a £1 million (US$1.3 million) grant from the UK Research and Investment co-investing program.
In similar news, TotalEnergies Corbion equipped UK mineral water provider Win Win Water with a plant-based and biodegradable bottle made from its Luminy Poly Lactic Acid. The bottles, including the label and lid, are made from plant-based material derived from sugarcane.
