Baileys paper bottle test heralds progress

Consumers have given a positive reaction to the new Baileys Mini paper-based bottle, after the new packaging was showcased to drinkers for the first time at the Time Out Festival in Barcelona (25 and 26 May).

The development of the paper-based bottle is an exciting step forward for Baileys and Diageo as we look to develop more sustainable and desirable products through innovation and marketing propositions. We want to help consumers understand the sustainability credentials of the products, including the materials used.

Made in partnership with PA Consulting, as part of the Bottle Collective with PA and PulPac, it is a Dry Molded Fiber bottle which is 90% paper, with a thin plastic liner (9%) and a foil seal (1%). The bottle is designed for recycling in standard paper streams and does not require the consumer to separate the plastic liner from the paper bottle when disposing. *

Over the Festival weekend, 2,000 samples of the 80ml Mini bottle were given away to consumers, with 310 of those were interviewed for quantitative research via a questionnaire.

And then 37 agreed to take part in a qualitative trial, answering more in-depth questions, about the packaging, liquid and aims of the innovations.

The reactions of the consumers who took part in the trial were encouraging, with substantial numbers highly positive about the sustainability credentials, the look and feel and occasionality.

86% felt the fact it was made predominantly of paper was important and a positive move by the brand

Consumer response on the quality and likeability on the look of the bottle was high (scoring 8.1 out of 10 – a score deemed “excellent” by internal metrics). Getting consumers to want the bottle in their hand is key to consumers accepting such innovative packaging.

Since we announced the launch of the trial, we have been clear that this process has been about achieving progress over perfection. Therefore, we also obtained valuable clarity on areas we need to improve on:

The three materials used in the bottle (paper, a thin plastic liner and foil seal) created confusion when it came to recycling the product. However, we are across these issues, and for test purposes the key was trialling the paper bottle and consumer response to it (and the foil seal was only a temporary solution, given that it is not recyclable in paper streams)

We also learned consumers would like to use the Mini format to add a dash of Baileys into their coffee or hot chocolate, so made clear their preference was for a resealable lid rather than foil in the Minis format. This was good insight to receive but as per above the foil seal was not part of the long-term scale-up plan. The foil seal was simply used to get the trial bottle out to test and to receive feedback as soon as possible.

The trial also enabled us to talk to consumers about paper and glass recyclability and how our research showed that the production and use of paper-based bottles would, compared to similar use and production of 100ml glass bottles, reduce carbon footprint by 80%.

Reflecting on the trial, Dave Lütkenhaus, Global Sustainability & Innovation Director, said:

"It was brilliant to see our first paper-based bottle out in front of consumers. We were really pleased with how consumers interacted with the material and their willingness to buy it in the future. With all new to market innovations, we know there is always room to improve and we're embracing a progress over perfection mindset so we can develop a bottle that consumers want with them feeding back throughout the journey. We'll be taking the learnings and working with PA on the next iteration of the paper-based bottle.”

Of those who took part there was a 50/50 gender split, 50% were aged 21-34 and 33% were considered Baileys consumers.

* Applicable of Spanish Trial; recyclability in other markets to be verified during scaled launch.