According to Greenbottle, the packaging – which will be marketed for use with liquids such as detergents, soups and juices – has a 23% lower carbon output than its laminated equivalents and has been developed to help reduce the number of containers being sent to landfill.

It follows the launch last month of Greenbottle’s paper wine bottle, which could be in supermarkets by the end of the year, and last year’s introduction of the paper milk bottle – already on sale in Asda.

Similar to Greenbottle’s other offerings the new cartons are made from a cartonboard exterior with a thin, removable plastic lining. The outer casings are produced using the firm’s patented thermoformed pulp moulding process and can be labelled, embossed or printed onto directly at the firm’s St. Helen’s-based plant.

Chairman Paul Bateman said: "We have created not only an environmentally friendly packaging concept, but also a versatile, robust and commercially viable one.

"Creating a process that does the packaging justice was a serious challenge. The downfall of many a great green product is the process used to create it and we’ve cracked it."

GreenBottle inventor Martin Myerscough said the packaging industry was an area in sustainability in desperate need of reform and he hoped the firm’s product would revolutionise the industry.

"We really believe that this kind of innovation can make a global difference to our environment and our future," he added.