Heinz Wants To Be the First Ketchup Brand in a Paper Bottle

Heinz's ketchup bottle might be more iconic than the condiment inside — the shape, the slow moving pour, the tapping on the "57." But as brands across the globe look for more environmentally-friendly packaging, Heinz might be willing to give the glass away for a package that would certainly be attention-grabbing: a paper ketchup bottle.

Today, Heinz announced that the brand had teamed up with Pulpex — the Diageo-backed sustainable packing company that also created Johnnie Walker's paper whisky bottle — to develop a renewable and recyclable bottle made from 100-percent sustainably-sourced wood pulp. Heinz adds that, in doing so, they are "the first sauce brand to test the potential of Pulpex's sustainable paper bottle packaging."

Like many brands, the Kraft Heinz Company has set a number of forward-looking environmental goals: namely, to make all packaging recyclable, reusable, or compostable by 2025 and to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Kraft Heinz CEO Miguel Patricio said he hopes a paper ketchup bottle can help them get there.

"Packaging waste is an industry-wide challenge that we must all do our part to address," he stated in the announcement. "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 Heinz bottle is one example of how we are applying creativity and innovation to explore new ways to provide consumers with the products they know and love while also thinking sustainably."

That said, don't expect to be tapping on the side of a paper ketchup bottle anytime soon. Heinz says they are currently developing a prototype, after which the next step would be testing for performance before additional consumer testing. Only following all of that would a paper ketchup bottle be available at stores.

Still, that's the stated goal. "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," Rashida La Lande, an executive vice president with Kraft Heinz, added.

Meanwhile, Pulpex CEO Scott Winston indicated that Heinz was just one of the many possibilities for their technology. "We believe that the scope for paper-based packaging is huge," he said, "and when global household names like Heinz embrace this type of innovative technology, it's good news for everyone — consumers and the planet."