As part of the investment agreement, Kruger will become the exclusive licensee and manufacturer of Ecologic’s paper bottle technology in Canada. Kruger’s Consumer Products Division currently serves the U.S. and Canadian markets with numerous well-known tissue product brands, and the eco.bottle® opens doors to other types of consumer-facing goods.
Kruger’s strategic investment in Ecologic unlocks synergies between two highly complementary partners, the most obvious being Kruger’s manufacturing, supply chain and paper technology with Ecologic’s patented molded fiber technology. This will help scale Ecologic’s current manufacturing capabilities rapidly, while tapping into over 100 years of Kruger’s industry experience in pulp & paper products, containerboard and packaging, lumber, recycling, and renewable energy.
“We are thrilled to partner with Ecologic, a company whose goal is to provide differentiated and innovative sustainable packaging solutions to consumers around the globe,” said Michael Lafave, Senior Vice President, Containerboard/Packaging & Recycling at Kruger Inc. “We are especially excited to bring the Ecologic paper bottle technology to our customers in the Canadian market as an additional offering to complement our corrugated packaging solutions.”
Since commercializing its first paper bottle in 2011 with green cleaning powerhouse, Seventh Generation Inc., Ecologic has manufactured and shipped millions of bottles to 15 brand partners around the world.
Julie Corbett, Founder of Ecologic, commented on the significance of this relationship. “By bringing the paper eco.bottle® into markets that have been traditionally dominated by plastics, our partnership with Kruger will help us revolutionize the bottling business with one of the most renewable and recyclable resources-paper.”
Kruger Inc. is a major producer of publication papers, tissue, lumber and other wood products, corrugated cartons from recycled fibres, green and renewable energy and wines and spirits.
