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Prince of Packaging HP Inc snaps up zero-plastic bottle maker

Patented plastic-free tech from Choose Packaging

Paragon of packetry HP has acquired Choose Packaging, inventor of a zero-plastic paper bottle.

Choose's patented tech can hold a variety of liquids and represents an alternative to plastic bottles. "There are more than 150 million tons of single-use plastics produced each year," said the printer and laptop maker, "and HP intends to disrupt this market with fiber-based, 100 per cent plastic-free packaging."

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, although a glimpse at the Edinburgh-based company's website shows it considers its products both "biodegradable" and "sustainable."

We're delighted to see HP make its move. The company, after all, has form when it comes to packaging. Who can forget the whole "mouse on a pallet" incident or a shipment of 17 boxes in order to keep 32 bits of paper crisp and well-protected? Not the recipients, that's for sure.

Still, that was a long time ago, and HP has never been the only offender when it comes to exuberant use of packaging materials. This hack well remembers an IBM PS/1 turning up at the beginning of the 1990s, perched on a pallet and encased in a cardboard box sufficient to house a medium-sized family. Dell also sought to cement its place in the ranks of the big boys with its own big cardboard box. This one containing a License Key Certificate.

Still, while times might have changed for some of the tech giants, if there's one thing we've learned during the pandemic, it's that the cardboard habit can be a tough one to break. Witness one individual who made the mistake of ordering a bottle of vinegar from an online retailer last year, only to receive a box with more empty space than a socially distanced work event.

So, it's commendable news for HP and Choose Packaging. While HP is already a consumer of recycled plastic for its products, we anxiously await the arrival of plastic-free, reusable ink cartridges. Any time now. ®

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