Bower Collective has partnered with Bristol-based biomaterials company Kelpi to launch what the companies describe as the world’s first fossil fuel plastic-free coated, recyclable paper sachet for a liquid product.
The new 5ml sachets contain samples of Bower Collective’s hand wash and use Kelpi’s seaweed-derived coating to provide the water barrier required to contain the liquid formulation without a conventional fossil fuel-derived plastic lining.
The collaboration brings together two certified B Corp businesses and tackles a particularly challenging area of packaging development. Small liquid sachets typically depend on multi-layer structures to deliver the necessary barrier and leak resistance, but these structures can be difficult to recycle.
Using seaweed to provide the liquid barrier
Kelpi’s proprietary biomaterial is made using renewably sourced seaweed and is applied as a coating to the paper substrate. Its role is critical to the format, providing the barrier performance needed to hold Bower Collective’s liquid hand wash.
The sample collection includes three of the brand’s hand wash fragrances: Orange Blossom & Mimosa, Pistachio & Vanilla and Wild Peach. Each paper sachet contains 5ml of product and is intended to allow existing Bower Collective customers to try the formulations before purchasing a full-size product.
According to the companies, the finished sachets can be placed in household paper recycling. Kelpi also states that its biomaterial is designed to biodegrade safely should it reach the natural environment.
The distinction between paper-based packaging and packaging that completely eliminates conventional plastic barriers is an important one. Paper packs for liquids still need to overcome substantial moisture and barrier challenges, and coatings play a fundamental role in determining both pack performance and its potential end-of-life route.
Running on existing sachet filling equipment
Another significant aspect of the project is how the packaging has been manufactured.
The sachets were produced and filled by Guardpack, an Essex-based specialist in wet wipes and liquid-filled sachets. The Kelpi-coated paper was run on Guardpack’s existing sachet-filling lines without equipment modifications.
That compatibility could be important for the wider adoption of alternative barrier materials. New packaging substrates can face an additional commercial hurdle if brands, converters or co-packers need to invest in dedicated machinery before they can use them.
In this case, the companies say the coated paper can operate as a drop-in solution on standard converting and filling machinery. Kelpi and Guardpack had previously trialled the seaweed-derived coating on Guardpack’s production lines, helping to establish the groundwork for the commercial launch.
Hugo Adams, CEO of Kelpi, commented:
Liquids are the hardest packaging challenge in paper, which is exactly why this launch matters. Bower Collective have given us the perfect first home for proving our coating can hold a liquid formulation reliably, while staying genuinely recyclable and fossil fuel plastic-free,”
Addressing the challenge of single-use sachets
Sachets present an interesting packaging challenge because their small size and demanding barrier requirements have traditionally resulted in structures using multiple layers of material.
For Bower Collective, the development also fits within a broader strategy centred around refill and reuse for its home and personal care products. Here, however, the focus is specifically on product sampling, where small single-use packs can provide consumers with an opportunity to try a formulation before committing to the full-size product.
Nick Torday, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Bower Collective, said:
Our mission at Bower is to revolutionise the industry and eliminate single use plastic waste from people’s homes. We are constantly innovating in pursuit of that mission, and this partnership with Kelpi is another fantastic step forward on our journey – delivering a world-first paper sachet for our natural liquid products”.
The development is an interesting example of how paperisation is increasingly moving beyond changing the main structural material of a pack. Barrier technologies are becoming central to efforts to extend fibre-based packaging into applications traditionally dependent on plastic, particularly where products contain liquids, oils or moisture.
For liquid sachets, the test is particularly demanding. A successful alternative needs to provide reliable containment and barrier performance while also being capable of manufacture at commercial speeds and offering a practical end-of-life route.
The Bower Collective, Kelpi and Guardpack collaboration brings those different requirements together in a small format that could provide a useful proving ground for the technology.
