Alternicq partners with UK’s Pulpex to bring pulp-based bottle tech to India

Alternicq (formerly Manjushree Technopack), India’s largest rigid plastic packaging manufacturer, is redefining its capability from design to delivery, expanding its packaging solutions portfolio with the addition of advanced pulp fiber bottle technology. 

Through an exclusive partnership with UK-based Pulpex, Alternicq will bring Pulpex’s pulp fiber bottle technology to India, adding a new sustainable material capability to its existing rigid-plastic packaging platform. 

The development is part of Alternicq’s ongoing transformation from a scale-led packaging supplier to a global one-stop solutions partner, providing solutions from design to delivery, across formats, materials and geographies. 

The addition of pulp fiber bottle technology is another step in this journey and will enable the company to expand its product portfolio into sustainable solutions, offering its customers a wider range of formats and materials while continuing to focus on innovation, design-to-delivery and deeper customer engagement.

Alternicq’s transformation rests on two pillars: First, the company is investing in a go-to-market capability built to serve customers more deeply — across categories, channels and markets — offering one-stop integrated solutions rather than individual products. Second, it is actively pursuing technology partnerships worldwide to ensure that its customers in India and beyond have access to the best available technology, whether in materials, formats, recycling or supply chain.

Pulp fiber bottles are food grade and extend Alternicq’s capability platform into a renewable format. Pulpex bottles are made from sustainably sourced wood pulp and are designed to be recycled through normal household paper and card streams. Its bottles use a sprayed-on inner barrier coating and does not need to be separated from the bottle for recycling. The platform is engineered for compatibility with existing filling infrastructure and offers direct-to-shape decoration for applications across FMCG categories.  

Speaking on the development, Thimmaiah NP, managing director & chief executive officer, Alternicq said, “We are building a one-stop packaging solutions business of global scale, investing in how we go to market, strengthening our capabilities from design to delivery, and partnering with the worlds leading technology innovators to bring the best solutions to our customers. Our ambition is simple: to provide every format, every material and every solution a customer needs, under one roof. By integrating innovative, sustainable materials and advanced packaging technologies into our rigid plastic packaging portfolio, we are expanding our capabilities to meet evolving customer needs across FMCG segments. Our partnership with Pulpex marks a significant step in this journey, bringing sustainable pulp fiber bottle technology to India and expanding the possibilities of what packaging can be.” 

Alternicq has signed an exclusive agreement with Pulpex to bring its path-breaking pulp fiber bottle technology to India. Under the agreement, both parties will jointly assess the market opportunity for Pulpex fiber bottles across the territory, evaluating customer demand, priority categories, product and regulatory requirements, and defining the site and equipment requirements for local manufacturing. 

The partnership combines Pulpex’s innovative fiber bottle technology with Alternicq’s manufacturing footprint, customer relationships and capabilities to develop sustainable packaging solutions for the Indian market.

Sandy Westwater, chief executive officer, Pulpex said, Alternicq is exactly the manufacturing partner this technology needs.  The significance of this announcement goes well beyond market entry. It brings together a UK technology platform that has moved from innovation to industrial reality and India’s leading packaging manufacturer, with the capability, the customers and the ambition to deliver renewable packaging at scale — making a material impact on our environment by reducing CO emissions and, critically, removing plastic waste on land and in our oceans.

Granting exclusivity for India, the GCC and the potential to expand the agreement to Australia, reflects our confidence in Alternicq’s capability and in the opportunity these markets represent. Together we are laying the foundation for fiber bottle production at scale in some of the most attractive packaging markets in the world.

Scott Winston, managing director & chief science and sustainability officer, Pulpex said, India is one of the most important consumer markets in the world and a natural destination for the next phase of Pulpex’s growth. “This partnership demonstrates the strength of our model. We have developed and industrialized a breakthrough packaging technology in the United Kingdom and are now deploying that capability through India’s leading packaging manufacturer, with exclusive rights across India, the GCC and potentially the Australian market as well.”