Eschlikon’s product portfolio 90 % completed
Most of us will have recently held an increasing number of beverage closures in our hands that can no longer be removed from the bottle. The reason for this is an EU directive from 2019, which stipulates such tethered closures for beverage bottles from July 3, 2024.
The company corvaglia, headquartered in Thurgau, Switzerland, has played a pioneering role in the development and production of tethered caps. The development of the first tethered cap models began even before the official publication of the EU directive. Since then, corvaglia has continuously worked on innovative solutions and has been able to convince well-known brand owners of the effectiveness of its products. As one of the first suppliers of tethered caps on the continent, corvaglia has secured a firm place for itself in this product segment.
The company’s own cap production in Eschlikon was also gradually converted to tethered products as part of this process. Since 1 March 2024, more than 80 % of the closures produced in Eschlikon now meet the requirements of EU Directive 2019/904. Around 10 % of the closures produced in Eschlikon are exported to non-EU countries and will remain non-tethered for the time being. The remaining 10 % will be converted by July.
The development of lightweight closures to reduce unnecessary plastic has always been part of corvaglia’s DNA. This approach has also been consistently pursued with tethered caps. With the latest tethered caps, corvaglia is proud to make a further contribution to reducing material and energy consumption and thus lowering CO2 emissions for beverage packaging.
MACA ENGINEERING S.r.l of San Quirino (Pordenone, Italy), specialist in designing and manufacturing machines for the production, assembly and cut of aluminium and plastic caps and closures, joined the AROL Group, world leader in capping equipment.
AROL Group thus confirms its industrial project and strategy to vertically expand its range of high-tech machines for primary packaging, in order to ensure the ever-increasing safety standards in the final customer’s interest.
“We are particularly pleased to welcome in our family the MACA ENGINEERING team, which for over 30 years has been designing and manufacturing equipment synonymous of robustness, precision and reliability, perfectly in line with our values and objectives. We are fully aware of the the growing quality expectations of the bottling lines – in every product sector and country in the world – and the possibility of adding to AROL’s know-how the technologies related to caps production, so strong and firmly rooted in MACA ENGINEERING, will result in a unique offer in the industrial landscape, which will increase the skills of both companies, bringing a sure added value to our respective clients “commented Alberto Cirio, CEO of AROL S.p.A.
“This collaboration will allow us to accelerate in the innovation and development of our products and services, relying on the experience of AROL Group companies and on an incredible R&D team that has been able to fully understand the need for integration of the equipment in the smart factories of the latest generation”, said Andrea Marchioro, CEO of MACA ENGINEERING.
Made from sugar cane, bio-sourced plastics offer a new level of sustainability
United Caps, an international manufacturer of caps and closures, and Braskem, a leading Brazilian petrochemical company, reported they have collaborated to deliver to the market greener bio-sourced plastic caps and closures made from sugar cane as an addition to the United Caps product portfolio.
Bio ethanol, the feedstock for I’m green™ Polyethylene, the basis for United Caps greener bioplastic caps, is derived from sugarcane, a renewable alternative to traditional fossil feedstocks. Being a renewable feedstock, sugarcane captures and fixes CO2 from the atmosphere with every growth cycle, which occurs annually. This means that the production of I’m green™ Polyethylene contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions when compared to conventional polyethylene, made from fossil materials.
“As a result, the carbon footprint of I’m green™ Polyethylene is negative, when considering our life cycle analysis. This means that every kilogram of I’m green™ Polyethylene used in United Caps products results in 3.09 kilograms of CO2 being sequestered from the atmosphere,” Brendan Hill, Sales Manager at Braskem Netherlands B.V., explained “Apart from the feedstock, I’m green™ Polyethylene follows the same production process as traditional fossil Polyethylene, ensuring that our Polyethylene has the same characteristics, quality and properties as the fossil equivalent,” he added “It goes without saying that I’m green™ Polyethylene fits all existing end-of-life scenarios and that our ethanol is sustainably sourced with clear chain of custody certification possible.”
United Caps is initially bringing to market two standard closures manufactured using bioplastic resin from Braskem, including:
- The VICTORIA closure, a 30/25 screw closure designed for still drinks.
- PROFLATSEAL, ideal for dairy products and still drinks, both pressurized and non-pressurized.
Innovative caps and closures for the food and drink industry are the core business of the Luxembourg-based family company United Caps. Its custom-designed caps and closures solutions have been one of the most sought-after solutions in the packaging industry for years. The company has experience growth in the high single digits since its 2015 rebranding, with a significant percentage of production being bespoke products that are uniquely designed to meet customer needs for exceptional appearance and ease of use, both in the filling line and for the consumer.
RPC Massmould in conjunction with RPC Astra Plastique (Global Expert Centre for Flip Top Sports Closures) have developed and industrialised a next generation sports cap that breaks new ground with its combination of enhanced consumer convenience and maximum product safety and integrity, along with a contemporary design.
The new Secure Flip Sports Closure features intuitive one-handed opening via an ergonomically designed Thumb Tab. The cap opens to a full and stable 180°, providing easy and comfortable access for the consumer to drink from the closure spout. An audible click confirms that the cap is either fully open or re-closed.
The Sustainable Tamper-Evident Band within the closure breaks on first opening. Importantly, unlike other sports caps that feature a detachable tab which then has to be thrown way or in many instances simply dropped on the floor, both parts of the Secure Flip tamper-evident band are retained within the closure.
A second tamper-evident Tuck Under Band on the base of the closure features a series of individual upstands that are revealed when it is unscrewed from the bottle. Some of these are pushed outwards when the closure is replaced to provide a visual indication that the bottle has been opened. This overcomes the problems usually associated with creating effective tamper evidence for lightweight neck finishes. The Tuck Under Band design also aids alignment with the capping machinery for optimised efficiency on filling lines.
A further safety device is the unique Triskeles, a three-legged feature within the mouth of the closure that prevents items being dropped into the drink or small fingers getting stuck in the opening.
High-tech, high speed manufacturing at RPC Massmould has enabled the Secure Flip closure body to be moulded in the closed position, allowing it to incorporate an innovative IP protected hinge for a more compact overall design and enhanced aesthetics on-shelf.
Secure Flip is currently available in 29.25 and 18.81 neck finishes and can be customised to individual customer requirements with unique colours associated to particular brands and products.
