Alpla equips Vöslauer water bottles with “dancing” tethered cap for EU SUPD compliancy
15 Jul 2021 --- Alpla has equipped Vöslauer mineral water brand with a tethered cap for its 1 L bottles in Austria and Germany ahead of the EU’s 2024 requirements for all drinks caps to remain attached to bottles after opening.
The plastic packaging supplier has developed four versions of its tethered cap and now offered customers tethered solutions for over a year. Vöslauer is the first brand to adopt one of Alpla’s tethered caps.
The EU’s Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD) stipulates that caps and lids on beverage packaging up to 3 L must remain firmly attached to bottles even after opening from July 3, 2024. The legislation is aimed at limiting the environmental pollution caused by unattached caps.
Several other leading suppliers have announced tethered cap solutions in recent months, including Tetra Pak, Elopak and SIG.
Meanwhile, a recent Sidel tethered cap survey found European consumers still prioritize product safety and convenience over waste reduction.
Vöslauer’s “Bleibt dran” cap
Vöslauer’s “Bleibt dran” tethered cap can be pulled to one side with a slight twisting motion, keeping it out of the way when pouring or drinking directly from the bottle.
“The cap is tethered to the bottle by a band, so it can’t get lost. With this solution, we are performing pioneering work as a provider in this area of sustainability too,” says Birgit Aichinger, Vöslauer’s managing director.
The bottles are made entirely of recycled PET and recyclable with the attached caps in household recycling streams or, in Germany, via bottle return machines.
Alpla has developed four versions of its tethered cap.
The “Dance” cap
Alpla says its tethered cap solutions are both environmentally sustainable and functional. No additional material is needed for their manufacture compared with conventional caps.
The caps can also be used on various packaging sizes and remain firmly tethered to the beverage packaging for its entire life cycle, avoiding separate waste.
Moreover, no major modifications to the customers’ bottling lines are required, the supplier says.
Vöslauer’s tethered cap is based on the solution known as the “Dance” cap at Alpla. The cap remains tethered to the cap ring on the bottleneck with a single band after it is opened. With this band, it can be flexibly positioned far enough away from the opening.
“Relax” “Soul” and “Jazz” caps
Meanwhile, the Relax cap can be fixed in three different positions on the bottleneck after opening. Two bands are used to tether the cap to the packaging. The mouth and the bottleneck are clear through 360 degrees, as is the case with untethered caps.
Another addition to Alpla’s tethered cap collection, the Soul cap can be bent back to an angle of approximately 160 degrees when opened and attached to the thread with a small pin. This fixing in place prevents the cap from springing back, allowing for undisturbed drinking enjoyment.
Rounding off the offering, Alpla’s flip-top folding cap branded Jazz can likewise be attached to the bottleneck after opening, providing an extra-wide and convenient aperture angle for pouring or drinking from the bottle.
PackagingInsights recently explored different perspectives on the EU’s SUPD with fiber-based suppliers, NGOs and plastics industry organizations.
By Joshua Poole
