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.
Intermarché, one of the most popular retail chains in France, demonstrates its relentless commitment to sustainability as it becomes the first in the country to use tethered SIG SwiftCap Linked closures on SIG’s carton packs. This pivotal move covers their entire private label juice portfolio of around 20 SKUs.
The fruit juice for the Paquito own brand distributed in Intermarché outlets is produced by Agromousquetaires, the agro-industrial entity of the Les Mousquetaires group.
Intermarché will also switch to a packaging material from the SIG Terra portfolio, which helps to reduce the use of fossil plastics. The SIG Terra portfolio is a set of more sustainable packaging solutions offering different structural options: without aluminum layer, with renewable materials from the forest, and/or recycled materials.
The polymers in SIG Terra packaging material support the transition to renewable polymers from the forest using a certified mass balance approach. SIG uses tall oil as a forest-based raw material for the production of the polymers. This is a by-product of the paper industry, thus avoiding the use of raw materials from agricultural crops. The polymers are certified according to the certification scheme ISCC PLUS. The ultra-thin aluminum foil used in the packaging material protects the contents from light and oxygen and is certified against ASI (Aluminium Stewardship Initiative) standards.
Intermarché, in its likeminded partnership with SIG, has achieved a first for the French juice market in helping to combat plastic waste leaking into the environment. The move to tethered caps comes well ahead of the EU’s Single-Use Plastics Directive deadline of July 2024 and will also be welcomed by both consumers and regulators. The tethered caps can be easily disposed of and recycled with the rest of the carton pack.
SIG’s tethered caps do not compromise on convenience for consumers, offering an easy pouring and drinking from the pack experience, via a robust double hinge solution. They are also compatible with existing SIG filling machines and closure applicators. This means no major investment is required, demonstrating the flexibility and adaptability needed to reassure customers that SIG’s packaging and filling solutions are a secure investment for the future.
The decision to launch Paquito and MERCI! brand juices with both innovations from SIG, fits perfectly with the company’s priority on responsible action. Intermarché’s socially responsible brand called Les Éleveurs vous disent MERCI! (The Farmers say Thank You!) is all about giving back. Its products offer consumers the opportunity to support farmers with better remuneration. MERCI! is also vehemently committed to the environment, society and animal welfare. MERCI! juices will come in SIG PremiumBloc 1,000 ml carton packs and Paquito in 750 ml and 1,000 ml.
The new caps, introduced by BBL in Ireland, Cido Grupa in the Baltics, LY Company Group and Lactalis Puleva in Spain and Weihenstephan in Germany, have been designed to prevent litter and accelerate transition to renewable materials.
Joining forces with leading beverage producers, Tetra Pak is launching tethered caps on carton packages. Marking a significant milestone in the company’s long-term work on design for recycling, five new tethered cap solutions are currently being introduced across Ireland, the Baltics , Spain and Germany in different product categories – a market first for these geographies. As part of a wider programme, this development paves the way for Europe-based customers to stay ahead of schedule and meet the Single Use Plastics (SUP) Directive coming into force by 2024.
Julia Luscher (Photo: Tetra Pak)
Julia Luscher, Vice President Marketing, Tetra Pak, comments: “We are delighted to be supplying a number of customers with tethered cap solutions, helping them to ‘walk the talk’ towards their sustainability ambitions. Understanding our customers’ needs and having collected consumer insights through multiple pieces of research across various markets, our new tethered caps have been designed to enhance convenience. For instance, they are easy to open and re-close for subsequent consumption, while featuring carefully sized diameters for smooth pouring and drinking.”
Tethered caps play an important role in preventing litter, as the cap will stay attached to the package. They could also help reduce the carbon footprint of the carton when they are chosen by food manufacturers as plant-based options, made from polymers derived from responsibly sourced sugarcane, thereby increasing the renewable content of the package. Additionally, a majority of Tetra Pak’s tethered cap portfolio features a reduced amount of plastic. Depending on the various solutions, the company achieved a plastic content reduction ranging between 7 % and 15 %.
Marco Marchetti, Vice President Packaging Materials, Sales and Distribution Solutions, Tetra Pak, adds: “Starting with these five new introductions, we are planning to equip approximately 300 packaging lines with tethered caps in Europe by the end of 2022. Considering the scale of change required across the value chain, early collaborations like these are putting the food and beverage industry on a fast track to accelerate the transition to a low carbon circular economy.”
In May, Borrisoleigh Bottling Ltd (BBL) is set to start commercial production of the new plant-based C38 Pro tethered cap on Tetra Top® 330 and Tetra Top® 500 carton packages. Based in Ireland, BBL is an experienced and awarded water producer, who’s seeking ‘to lead the industry towards a more responsible and sustainable future’.
The new HeliCap 26™ Pro closure – on a Tetra Prisma® Aseptic 1000 Square package – is being tested since February 2022 in the Baltics with Cido Grupa, who is leading the juice segment in that region since many years and exporting its products to over 20 countries across the globe.
In Spain, LY Company Group – that is driving the growth of carton-packaged water in the country, with the mission of ‘reaching a turning point in which both society and companies are aware of the importance of choosing sustainable packaging for the conservation of the planet’ – will soon start commercial production of the new plant-based DreamCap™ 26 Pro closure on a Tetra Prisma® Aseptic 330 Square package.
In the same country, Lactalis Puleva – part of the Lactalis Group, a world leading dairy company – has chosen to test the new HeliCap™ 23 Pro closure. The cap, in its plant-based option, has been applied to Tetra Brik® Aseptic 1000 Slim packages for the brand Lauki, on shelf since March this year.
Weihenstephan, one of the oldest and most popular German dairy brands, will soon test the production of the new LightWing™ 30 closure, on a Tetra Brik® Aseptic 1000 Edge carton.
The company has also heavily invested towards an improved manufacturing experience for customers. Tetra Pak’s new high quality, automated production lines for tethered caps utilise Artificial Intelligence technology for increased efficiency.
Marco Marchetti (Foto: Tetra Pak)
Marchetti concludes: “We are on a journey towards creating the world’s most sustainable food package, a carton that is fully made from responsibly sourced renewable or recycled materials, is fully recyclable and carbon-neutral. We are ramping up investment in the development of alternative solutions across our packaging portfolio such as tethered caps and other drink-from systems, to reduce littering while increasing the renewable share of our cartons.”
“In total, we are investing around EUR 400 million in the development and roll-out of tethered cap solutions, including a EUR 100 million investment last year in our Châteaubriant plant in France to accelerate the production of tethered closures. By working seamlessly across multiple project streams and covering approximately 40 different packages with tethered caps, we expect to sell over 1.5 billion such closures by year end.”
Elopak announced the upcoming roll out of its tethered cap solution – the Pure-TwistFlip™
Announced in 2021, the tethered cap is one of the latest innovations launched by Elopak. The Pure-TwistFlip™ has been designed so that the closure remains attached to the carton throughout its entire lifecycle, thereby reducing the risk of it being littered. It complies with the EU’s Single-Use Plastic Directive, which was introduced as part of efforts to reduce the impact of certain plastic products in the environment and tackle marine littering.
The Pure-TwistFlip™ 29i is also Elopak’s lightest screw cap to date, helping to reduce the use of plastics. It can be combined with any Pure-Pak® carton to create an original packaging solution that prioritises the environment, safety and consumer convenience.
Commenting on the announcement Elopak CMO Patrick Verhelst stated, “We are delighted to share the news that our tethered cap solution will soon be available to customers. The Pure-TwistFlip™ is a fantastic addition to our current portfolio of opening features that meets the tethering requirements of the EU’s Single-Use Plastic Directive well ahead of its deadline in 2024.”
“As Elopak’s lightest screw cap to date, the Pure-TwistFlip™ 29i also represents a great option for our customers outside the EU who are looking to adopt more sustainable packaging solutions. We look forward to supporting those who choose to make the transition in the coming weeks and months,” he continued.
The cap itself is produced by United Caps. Speaking on the company’s partnership with Elopak, United Caps CEO Benoit Henckes said, “We have an ethos that we are ‘better united’. It makes us proud that world-class brands like Elopak recognise our differentiating ability to create breakthrough on the shelf.”
He added, “Innovating together on the Pure-TwistFlip™ meant combining our 80+ years of experience in cap design with Elopak’s outstanding packaging concept to bring together elements of usability and sustainability. The result is a tethered closure that performs for today and for tomorrow.”
Elopak’s iconic Pure-Pak® cartons are made using renewable, recyclable and sustainably sourced materials. They offer customers a natural and convenient alternative to plastic bottles.
Previous innovations launched by Elopak have a strong focus on sustainability and reducing the use of plastics, reflecting the company’s commitment to contributing to a net zero circular economy for packaging. These include the Pure-Pak® Imagine carton, which is a modern version of the company’s original Pure-Pak® carton that comes without a screw cap. Designed with a new easy open feature, it contains 46 per cent less plastic and is 100 per cent forest-based. Elopak’s Natural Brown Board cartons are renewable, recyclable and have a lower carbon footprint than conventional cartons owing to reduced wood consumption, one less layer and fewer bleaching chemicals.
Tetra Pak announces a project to expand its Châteaubriant plant, in France, dedicated to the design and manufacturing of caps, while ensuring increased production capacity to enable the future transition to tethered caps.
Tetra Pak announced an ambitious investment program dedicated to its factory in Châteaubriant, specialised in the production of caps. Spanning across a three-year period (late 2021-2023), this €100 million project will support the plant’s transition to the production of tethered caps by 2024. Tethered caps help to minimise litter, as the cap will stay attached to the package.
This step – that is in addition to the company’s commitment to invest approximately €100 million per year over the next 5 – 10 years to develop more sustainable packaging solutions – is key to ensuring that Tetra Pak’s customers in Europe will be ready to comply with the Single Use Plastics (SUP) Directive, an integral part of the wider approach announced in the Plastics Strategy and an important element of the EU Circular Economy Action Plan.
Charles Brand, President of Tetra Pak Europe & Central Asia, comments: “We are particularly proud of this investment project, which demonstrates how we consistently strive to provide customers with sustainable innovations and meet the rapidly changing demands of regulators and society. High-performance food packaging plays a critical role in feeding the world, but it must do so sustainably, so that food availability does not come at the cost of the planet.”
The Châteaubriant plant is a key manufacturing facility for Tetra Pak, serving food and beverage manufacturers globally, with a production capacity of approximately 5 billion caps in 2020. Awarded last year with the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) Advanced Products certification, the factory is also equipped to produce additional materials integrating attributed recycled polymers. Today, the site covers an area of over 30,000 sqm and features 19 lines dedicated to the manufacture of 6 types of caps.
The investment will be spread over two phases. The first one begins in late 2021, where the company will enlarge the industrial site to accommodate a 30 % increase in manufacturing capacity through the installation of ten additional lines that will be dedicated to the production of tethered caps. Then, between 2022 and 2023, approximately 50 % of the existing lines will be replaced, again to expand the access of F&B players to tethered caps.
Elopak is today announcing a new tethered cap solution for its iconic Pure-Pak® cartons – the Pure-TwistFlip™.
The tethered cap is the latest sustainability-focused innovation announced by Elopak. The closure remains attached to the carton throughout its entire lifetime, helping to tackle the serious problem of marine littering by ensuring that the cap is disposed of properly. It is also Elopak’s lightest screw cap to date, helping to reduce the use of plastics.
As cartons can be recycled with the tethered cap attached, the Pure-TwistFlip™ offers up an exciting new option for brands looking to meet the growing consumer demand for sustainable packaging, without compromising on convenience or product integrity.
Commenting on the announcement Elopak CMO Patrick Verhelst stated, “We are delighted to share the news that our tethered cap solution is now ready. Sustainability is a central driver of our innovation efforts at Elopak, in which we are continually seeking to raise the bar and improve on past performance.”
“We have invested heavily in developing more environmentally friendly packaging solutions that meet the same high standards our customers are used to, and at the same time offer them a way to package their products in a manner that fits with a low carbon circular economy. By combining Elopak’s Pure-Pak® carton with the Pure-TwistFlip™ cap, brands can now choose a package that both helps prevent marine littering and reduces the use of plastics.” he continued.
Beverage cartons have strong environmental credentials when compared with alternatives such as plastic bottles. Even with a regular cap studies have shown that in the case of UHT milk, cartons result in 70.7 % less CO2 emissions and in the case of fresh milk 83.6 % less CO2 emissions in comparison to disposable PET bottles .
Elopak supplies renewable, recyclable, and carbon neutral Pure-Pak® cartons. The new Pure-TwistFlip™ cap can be combined with any existing Pure-Pak® carton to provide an original Elopak packaging solution that prioritizes the environment, consumer convenience and safety. The innovation is expected to launch to the market in Autumn 2021.
Elopak already offers customers a number of sustainability-focused innovations such as Natural Brown Board cartons which are renewable, recyclable and have a lower CO2 footprint owing to reduced wood consumption and the elimination of the bleaching process.
Elopak also offers cartons without a cap. The Pure-Pak® Imagine is a modern version of the company’s original Pure-Pak® carton launched in June 2020. Designed with a new easy open feature, it contains 46 per cent less plastic and is 100 per cent forest-based.
A UN Global Compact participant, Elopak has been carbon neutral since 2016 and in 2019 was one of the first companies in the world to formally pledge to cut Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in line with criteria set by the Science Based Targets initiative aimed at keeping the global average temperature increase below 1.5 C.
