Kraft-Heinz partners with Pulpex to develop sustainable, recyclable ketchup bottle

Pittsburgh-based Heinz announced Tuesday that it will team up with Pulpex to develop a sustainable, recyclable bottle made from wood pulp for its iconic ketchup brand.

Using 100 percent sustainably sourced wood pulp, Pulpex will develop a renewable, recyclable bottle for Heinz, innovating the condiment’s signature packaging.

For Kraft-Heinz, the parent company of Heinz, the collaboration signifies the company’s latest step toward reducing its environmental footprint. The company’s sustainable packaging ambitions align with its goals toward making all of its packaging globally recyclable, reusable, or compostable by 2025 and achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

“Packaging waste is an industry-wide 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 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.”

Heinz and Pulpex are developing a prototype of the bottle to test how cutting-edge innovation can be used for Heinz Tomato Ketchup and other packaging formats in years to come. Pulpex’s current data indicates the carbon footprint of its bottles is less than glass and plastic on a bottle-by-bottle basis.

The next step will involve prototype testing to assess performance and then 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. “We’re eager to continue discovering more sustainable packaging for our beloved and iconic brands.”