Tetra Pak has partnered with several leading beverage producers to launch tethered caps on carton packages. Marking a significant milestone in the company’s long-term work on design for recycling, 5 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.
This development also 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, Vice President Marketing at Tetra Pak said, “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 at Tetra Pak added, “Starting with these 5 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.”
The 5 new tethered caps solutions include new plant-based C38 Pro tethered cap on Tetra Top® 330 and 500 carton packages for bottled water producer, Borrisoleigh Bottling Ltd based in Ireland; and the new LightWing™ 30 closure, on a Tetra Brik® Aseptic 1000 Edge carton for Weihenstephan, one of the most popular German dairy brands.
Tetra Pak has also heavily invested on a new high quality, automated production lines for tethered caps which utilise Artificial Intelligence technology for increased efficiency.
Marchetti concluded, “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.”
Tetra Pak is investing around €400 million (US$416 million) in the development and roll-out of tethered cap solutions, including a €100 million (US$104 million) investment last year in its Châteaubriant plant in France to accelerate the production of tethered closures.
