Frugalpac, a British company specializing in sustainable packaging, has produced the Frugal Bottle—the world’s first and only commercially available paper bottle designed specifically for wines and spirits. The company is urging the Government to prioritize the distribution of paper bottle machines globally, rather than just shipping empty wooden bottles that contain only air.
This call for action follows the announcement that the Government’s National Wealth Fund Bank is investing £43.5 million in Pulpex, another sustainable packaging firm. This investment aims to establish a wooden bottle production facility in Glasgow, which is expected to create 35 jobs. Additionally, the Scottish National Investment Bank will contribute £10 million towards this initiative.
Frugalpac’s innovative Frugal Bottle is manufactured from 94% recycled paperboard, incorporating a food-grade pouch to hold the liquid. Remarkably, it is five times lighter than traditional glass bottles while utilizing six times less carbon and energy during production and disposal, thereby enhancing food and drink packaging sustainability.
The company operates a privately funded paper bottle factory in Ipswich, which employs 28 people and is poised for growth. As part of its expansion, Frugalpac designs and sells Frugal Bottle Assembly Machines, enabling customers to produce paper bottles closer to their filling sites. This business model significantly reduces carbon emissions by minimizing the transportation of empty bottles.
Frugalpac’s efficient manufacturing process showcases British engineering on a global scale, allowing the company to export its technology worldwide.
Each Frugal Bottle Assembly Machine boasts the capability to produce 2.5 million paper bottles annually. Recently recognized with The King’s Award for Innovation, Frugalpac has successfully exported three machines to the US, Canada, and Australia.
KinsBrae Packaging in Canada was the first to acquire a machine, which began operations in January 2024, serving the North American drinks market. Meanwhile, a second assembly machine is now producing paper bottles at California’s Monterey Wine Company, and Frugalpac has secured a contract to send a machine to Australia for Mother of Pearl Vodka.
Moreover, Frugalpac has entered a letter of intent with ITC Limited’s Packaging and Printing Business—one of South Asia’s largest value-added packaging converters—to introduce paper Frugal Bottles to India in a pioneering effort to decarbonize the drinks industry.
Since its launch in 2020, the Frugal Bottle has been adopted by 51 producers across 63 brands, resulting in 127 different SKUs available in 25 countries. This includes markets such as Australia, Japan, North America, Canada, the UK, various European nations, Scandinavia, and South Africa.
Consumers will find the Frugal Bottle available at major retailers including Aldi, Sainsbury’s, and Morrisons in the UK, as well as Whole Foods Market in the USA. The product is also set to launch in Target supermarkets and 7-Eleven convenience stores across the USA.
During a recent event at the House of Commons, Frugalpac unveiled its Paper Bottle Green Growth Manifesto—a direct call to action printed on the bottles—to further its mission of accelerating the transition to a net-zero economy. The manifesto outlines four crucial policy proposals:
- Establish a UK-Based Recycled Content Industry
- Introduce Standardised Carbon Labelling
- Deliver Nationwide Recycling Standardisation
- Reform R&D Tax Credits
Frugalpac CEO Malcolm Waugh said: “Whilst we welcome any investment in low carbon sustainable packaging, it is important to remember that it is more sustainable to ship these carbon-cutting machines abroad and not just empty bottles full of air around the world.
“Without any public investment, we built our first Frugal Bottle Assembly Machine in Ipswich six years ago and have now sold another three machines for export to the USA, Canada and Australia. If we want to cut the carbon footprint of the drinks industry, we need to site these machines locally so that paper bottles can be produced as close to the filling lines as possible.
“The Government has been supportive of our mission, including the Prime Minister and the Chancellor, and promoted us at trade exhibitions.
“But what would really help green smaller businesses like ours is the reform of Research and Development Tax Credits and easier access to innovation grants so we can develop and scale the next-generation of sustainable packaging products, as well as contributing to UK employment and driving exports of Great British Engineering around the world.”
To further bolster its mission, Frugalpac has established the ‘Frugal Bottle Fill Good Collective’, connecting drinks brands worldwide with fillers and co-packers. This initiative allows companies to conduct limited trials or place larger orders based on their proximity to available fillers.
The current members of the Frugal Bottle collective include:
- Cantina Goccia, Italy
- Skanvin, Denmark
- Bodegas Fernando Castro, Spain
- La Bouteille Qui Cartonne, France
- Broadland Drinks, Norfolk, England
- Young Spirits, Edinburgh, Scotland
- Monterey Wine Company, California, USA
- Encore Beverages, Australia
- Mother of Pearl Vodka, Australia
- ODB Beverages, the Netherlands
- The Stillery, the Netherlands
- Hensol Castle Distillery, Wales
- Brand Tap, Worcestershire, England
- KinsBrae Group, Ontario, Canada
- Distillery 98, Florida, USA
- Kueppersbusch Velbert, Germany
