Bericap’s Light Weighting Initiatives for Sustainable Edible Oil Packaging: New 26/21 Neck Finish and Closures

Taking the new trend toward light weight packaging systems into consideration, BERICAP has been pushing forward light weighting initiatives and the introduction of economical and environmental friendly closure solutions with a completely new neck finish in the new 26/21mm dimension standard.

14/05/09 Packaging nowadays focuses on a combination of improvement of carbon footprint, cost reduction and functionality. Bericap’s targets as a long term partner in the edible oil industry is not only to contribute to the improvement of the carbon footprint, but also to offer better and safer closure systems giving advantageous handling also for the consumer.

Most of the 1 litre PET bottles used by the Edible Oil Industry in Europe or South America have a standard 29/21 neck finish of 2.74g. This neck finish was initially designed when PET bottles were first introduced some decades ago to allow all the corresponding plastic closures to fit also on glass bottles and at the same time on PVC bottles, which were still very popular at that time for edible oil.

Today PET bottles represent the major packaging material for mass production of edible oil. This fact supports the possibility of using the intrinsic mechanical performances of PET and its unique moulding capabilities to optimise the design of such neck finish, away from all constraints in the past imposed by glass. Taking the new trend toward light weight packaging systems into consideration, Bericap has been pushing forward light weighting initiatives and the introduction of economical and environmental friendly closure solutions with a completely new neck finish in the new 26/21mm dimension standard.

The internal diameter of the new 26/21 neck remains the same as on the traditional 29/21mm neck, important in order to keep the same filling nozzles. Only the external diameter (wall thickness) and the height of the neck have been reduced.

This new concept consisting of 26/21 neck and Bericap’s GALILEO II 26/21 closure has been first introduced in Brazil.

To satisfy demands from the market the light weight 1-piece CTC 26/10, also called GALILEO I 26, mostly used for cost efficient capping solutions will be available now. Customers preferring the 2 piece screw cap solution can be supplied with an EV 26/18 closures equipped with a flow controlling marguerite and those preferring a hinged closure may request the 1-piece closure solution called HC EV 26/18. All these closure variants fit the same 26m finish.

Customers looking for a cost efficient solution while still wanting to have a pouring mechanism, will choose a 2-piece CTC IP closure with an inserted pouring device. Last but not least BERICAP will offer a 2-piece flip top closure with a transparent top under the name GALILEO II 26/21 to the market. Both variants will be available during the course of 2009 and of course will fit the stated 26mm neck finish.