Leading lubricant brand and BP group company Castrol announced today that it has joined the Pulpex partner consortium, and is working with Pulpex to design paper bottles for use with Castrol’s products.

Pulpex is a first-of-its-kind technology that forms bottles from wood pulp using 100% renewable feedstocks from responsibly managed forests. It was launched in 2020 as a collaboration between venture management company Pilot Lite and beverage alcohol company Diageo, and the consortium includes companies including PepsiCo, Unilever and GSK Consumer Healthcare. Last year, Diageo announced plans to debut the world’s first ever 100% plastic free paper-based spirits bottle on its leading Johnnie Walker scotch whisky brand.

A.S. Ramchander, Castrol’s Chief Marketing Officer, said:

“Our initial work in adapting the Pulpex 100% PET-free bottle technology for use in oil packaging has been extremely positive. Collaborating with innovation partners such as Pulpex is critical to developing novel solutions in this challenging category and we are delighted to be working with them to achieve our sustainability ambition.”

According to Castrol, the new initiative aligns with its recently-announced sustainability goals. Last month, Castrol launched its PATH360 sustainability strategy, with goals including cutting its plastic footprint in half by 2030.

Ramchander added:

“Our research has shown that our customers and consumers are looking for more sustainable solutions. This technology, if successfully scaled, could help towards reducing Castrol’s plastic footprint.”