Dat is TopClip! Grolsch brings Smurfit Kappa's plastic-alternative beverage carrier to market

04 Mar 2020 --- Dutch beer brewer Grolsch is set to bring Smurfit Kappa’s paper-based TopClip to market for the first time for its multi-pack cans. Completely renewable, recyclable and biodegradable, the TopClip offers a viable alternative to conventional plastic shrink wrap, which is typically unrecyclable in existing recycling infrastructure. Grolsch will eliminate an estimated 100,000 kg of plastic annually, which is equivalent to more than four million plastic bags, by transitioning to the TopClip. The change is part of Grolsch’s goal to become a zero-waste brewery.

Smurfit Kappa’s TopClip product will make its debut this month in a selection of supermarkets in the Netherlands.

Grolsch is part of the Asahi global food and beverage giant, which owns a wide portfolio of brands including Peroni, Asahi beer, Mountain Dew and Schweppes tonic water.

TopClip delivers on both environmental sustainability and functionality as the solution fully covers the top of can multi-packs, protecting them from contamination while providing consumer handling and branding opportunities.

“The combination of the sustainable character, the high-quality appearance and the ease of use made Grolsch choose this solution. The total so-called eco-costs are halved,” explains Joost Nawijn, Packaging Development Specialist at Grolsch.With an average 30 percent lower carbon footprint than plastic alternatives, the TopClip is 100 percent renewable, recyclable and biodegradable. 

“An independent Life Cycle Analysis has shown that replacing the current plastic shrink wrap around the cans with the new TopClip packaging ensures a CO2 reduction of 36 percent compared to new plastic shrink wrap and 16 percent compared to recycled plastic shrink wrap,” says Nawijn.

“TopClip has generated significant interest since we launched it at Smurfit Kappa’s global Better Planet Packaging Day last November,” notes Arco Berkenbosch, VP of Innovation & Development at Smurfit Kappa.

“The alignment between Grolsch’s goal of becoming a zero-waste brewery and our Better Planet Packaging initiative reinforces the fact that Grolsch is the ideal partner to be the first on the market with this solution. We look forward to facilitating the eventual conversion of all multi-packs from shrink wrap to TopClip,” adds Berkenbosch.

Smurfit Kappa’s TopClip product will make its debut this month in a selection of supermarkets in the Netherlands.

TopClip exhibits at Packaging Innovations 2020
Smurfit Kappa showcased the TopClip at Packaging Innovations 2020 in Birmingham, UK, last week. Speaking to PackagingInsights, Herwin Wichers, Market Development Director at Smurfit Kappa, explained that there were some considerable challenges to overcome in the development of the TopClip.

“It is quite a challenging thing to replace the plastic shrink film. For example, getting the product through the supply chain without damage and the packing process itself. Also, consumer interaction was important because people are very used to using plastic shrink film and we had to work to achieve the right look and feel,” explains Wichers.

Wichers also points out that the paper-based solution can be made with up to 40 percent recycled content. The product will be available globally, although at present Smurfit Kappa is focusing on the European market, he says.

Innovating away from plastics
Grolsch’s market launch of the TopClip follows a string of sustainable innovations designed to replace single-use plastic shrink wrap. In November 2018, Corona became the first global beer brand to trial 100 percent plastic-free six-pack rings. Corona has also since experimented with a screwable, stackable can innovation.

Similar to the Grolsch-Smurfit Kappa launch, Budweiser Brewing Group UK & Ireland sealed a £6.3 million (US$7.8 million) investment in new technology to eliminate plastic rings from can packaging across its entire UK-produced beer range by the end of 2020. Likewise, Diageo’s Guinness, Harp and Smithwick’s beer brands replaced plastic ring carriers and shrink wrap with a paper-based solution in a £16 million (US$21 million) investment.

Meanwhile, Carlsberg reimagined beer multi-pack packaging altogether with the Snap Pack: a recyclable glue that bonds multi-packs of beer together. The technology is set to reduce plastic waste globally by more than 1200 metric tons a year – the equivalent to 60 million plastic bags, according to the Danish brewery.

In soft drinks, Coca-Cola European Partners announced in September 2019 that it is removing plastic shrink-wrap across all multi-pack cans sold in the UK and transitioning to cardboard over the next 18 months.

By Joshua Poole