The ketchup bottle of tomorrow

Heinz, maker of the world’s favorite ketchup and beloved condiments, is teaming up with Pulpex to develop a paper-based, renewable and recyclable bottle made from 100 percent sustainably sourced wood pulp. Innovating its iconic ketchup bottle, Heinz is the first sauce brand to test the potential of Pulpex’s sustainable paper bottle packaging for its range of world-famous condiments.

Heinz, maker of the world’s favorite ketchup and beloved condiments, is teaming up with Pulpex to develop a paper-based, renewable and recyclable bottle made from 100 percent sustainably sourced wood pulp.

For The Kraft Heinz Company, this collaboration is the latest step in its journey to reduce its environmental footprint. It progresses the company’s sustainable packaging ambitions, in that it aligns with its goal to make all packaging globally recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025. It is also an innovation that will help Kraft Heinz achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

The two companies are developing a prototype to test how the cutting-edge innovation could be used for Heinz Tomato Ketchup bottles and other packaging formats in years to come. Pulpex’s current data indicates the carbon footprint of Pulpex bottles is materially less than glass and plastic on a bottle-by-bottle basis. Once used, they are also expected to be widely and readily recyclable in paper waste streams.

“Packaging waste is an industrywide challenge that we must all do our part to address,” said Kraft Heinz CEO Miguel Patricio. “That is why we are committed to taking steps to explore sustainable packaging solutions across our brands at Kraft Heinz, offering consumers more choices. This new bottle is one example of how we are combining creativity and innovation to explore new ways to provide consumers with the products they know and love while also thinking sustainably.”

The next step in the process will involve prototype testing to assess performance before testing with consumers and bringing the bottle to market.

“We hope to bring this bottle to market and to be the first sauce brand to provide consumers this choice in their purchasing decisions, as many consumers today are looking for more sustainable packaging options,” said Rashida La Lande, EVP & Global General Counsel and Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer at Kraft Heinz.

The pulp-based bottle would become the newest option available to Heinz Tomato Ketchup fans, joining the recyclable iconic glass bottle and plastic bottle, as well as plastic squeeze bottles with their 30 percent recycled content (available only in the EU) and 100 percent recyclable caps.