Frugalpac launches high speed paper bottle machine to meet surging global demand

Packaging Solutions Green Solutions

British sustainable packaging company Frugalpac has unveiled a high speed new machine that dramatically increases the production of its paper Frugal Bottles, enabling drinks brands, fillers and packaging partners to scale beyond the limits of glass.

The launch comes as the UN’s World Meteorological Organisation recently warned that the Earth’s climate is increasingly out of balance, with greenhouse gas emissions driving accelerating warming.

The new Frugal Bottle Assembly Machine 2 (FBAM-2) is a scalable platform capable of producing 14 million paper bottles a year – more than five times the capacity of its predecessor, FBAM-1, which produces up to 2.5 million annually. 

Designed for installation at bottling plants and packaging facilities worldwide, the FBAM-2 allows partners to manufacture Frugal Bottles at scale, closer to filling lines, reducing cost, carbon and supply chain risk. Its flexible multi-lane options allow for both smaller and significantly larger production volumes.

Frugalpac, a King’s Award winning cleantech company based in Suffolk, launched the Frugal Bottle in 2020. Still the world’s first and only commercially available paper bottle for wines, spirits and edible oils, it is made from 100% recycled paperboard and has a carbon footprint up to 84% lower than a standard glass bottle.

With the FBAM-2, the Frugal Bottle is now up to 30% lower cost than the current paper bottles, bringing it to price parity – or better – than a labelled glass bottle. As energy prices are increasing at pace, the Frugal Bottle is not just the sustainable choice but the smart economic one. 

The launch of FBAM-2 marks a step change for the drinks industry, where demand for lower carbon packaging is accelerating but production capacity has remained a bottleneck.

Until now, the rollout of paper bottles has been limited by manufacturing scale. FBAM-2 removes that constraint, enabling millions more bottles to be produced annually at a single site.

Glass production requires furnaces operating at temperatures of around 1500°C, often powered by fossil fuels, and supply chains have been hit in recent years by energy shocks, rising costs and material shortages.

At the same time, new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) rules across the UK, Europe and other markets mean companies are increasingly charged for the environmental cost of their packaging, with heavier materials like glass among the most expensive.

Retailers are also turning their attention to packaging as a major source of emissions. Alcoholic drinks are now the largest contributor to supermarket packaging impact, accounting for roughly 33% of all environmental impacts in the grocery aisle, driven largely by glass bottles. (Source IGD)

Each Frugal Bottle saves 348g of CO₂e compared to a glass bottle. With four million bottles already produced, the cumulative savings are now over 1392 tonnes of CO₂ – the equivalent of 3.5 million miles driven in a petrol car. 

With full 360 degree printability, the Frugal Bottle gives brand owners a powerful canvas to engage a new generation of discerning consumers.

Since its 2020 debut, over four million Frugal Bottles have been produced. The format is already a retail reality, stocked by giants such as Sainsbury’s, Aldi, Whole Foods, Target, and 7-Eleven.

The company’s approach combines low carbon materials with localised production, allowing bottles to be assembled closer to filling sites, reducing transport emissions, breakage and supply chain risk.

The FBAM-2 enables distributed manufacturing, allowing early adopter partners like Monterey Wine Company (USA) and KinsBrae Packaging (Canada) to assemble bottles on-site. This eliminates packaging miles – the carbon cost of shipping empty glass bottles – and secures the supply chain against global glass shortages.

JP Grogan, product director at Frugalpac, said: ‘The FBAM-2 is the industrial rollout the mass market has been waiting for. 

‘We have engineered it for maximum uptime and modular flexibility, allowing it to handle everything from spirits and wine to oils and ready to drink (RTD) cocktails. 

‘The technology is ready; the era of heavy glass is over.’

Malcolm Waugh, CEO of Frugalpac, added: ‘For decades, glass has been the default for wine and spirits. But it is heavy, energy intensive and increasingly expensive to use and recycle.

‘What has changed is that packaging is no longer just a design choice, it is a climate decision. Glass is no longer neutral.

‘The FBAM-2 gives the industry a practical way to move faster; cutting carbon, reducing costs and producing bottles closer to where drinks are made and sold.

‘The opportunity is clear. The technology is ready. The future of packaging is lighter and of a lower cost and the industry now has the tools to get there.’