Alternicq secures exclusive rights to manufacture Pulpex fiber bottles in India

Alternicq Limited, India's largest rigid plastic packaging manufacturer, has signed an exclusive partnership with UK-based Pulpex to bring its molded pulp fiber bottle technology to the Indian market. The agreement, announced on October 6, 2026, also includes plans to evaluate manufacturing and distribution opportunities across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Australia.

Formerly known as Manjushree Technopack, Alternicq operates 29 manufacturing facilities across India, employing over 2,400 people and serving more than 1,000 customers. Backed by investment firm PAG, the company's move into fiber-based packaging marks a significant strategic pivot from a pure-play plastics supplier to a multi-material packaging solutions provider for the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector.

Industrializing paper bottles for FMCG

The partnership aims to scale up Pulpex's proprietary technology, which produces food-grade bottles from sustainably sourced wood pulp. A critical advantage of the Pulpex system is its end-of-life profile: the bottles feature a sprayed-on inner barrier coating that does not need to be separated prior to disposal, allowing the packaging to be recycled through standard household paper and cardboard streams.

Thimmaiah NP, Managing Director and CEO of Alternicq, emphasized that the integration of sustainable materials into their portfolio is driven by evolving customer needs. The companies will now jointly assess market opportunities, priority categories, and the specific site and equipment requirements needed to establish local manufacturing operations in India.

For Pulpex, which recently secured backing from the National Wealth Fund and the Scottish National Investment Bank, this alliance provides the industrial muscle necessary to deploy its technology globally. Sandy Westwater, CEO of Pulpex, noted that Alternicq possesses the manufacturing scale, capital strength, and customer access required to transition renewable packaging from an innovation concept to an industrial reality.

Alternicq's pivot from pure plastic to a multi-material packaging powerhouse is exactly the kind of pragmatic, scale-driven approach the molded fiber sector needs to truly compete with PET in high-volume markets. Will the existing paper recycling infrastructure in India and the GCC be able to handle the sudden influx of barrier-coated fiber bottles once FMCG giants adopt them at scale? Follow The Paper for daily news, market signals and key updates from the global paper, corrugated and packaging industry. — Sigue toda la actualidad del sector en www.thepaper.ai