Drinktec 2022: Bericap to present lightweight tethered caps for smooth EU SUPD transition

05 Aug 2022 --- Bericap is exhibiting ClipAside, a tethered cap closure solution providing enhanced user convenience, climate friendliness, and weight and material reductions at the Drinktec trade fair in Munich, Germany, this September. 

Bericap, a global manufacturer of plastic and aluminum closures, is committed to its “Econvenience” strategy targeting convenience and customization. 

This strategy focuses on user-friendly and resource-saving closure solutions, such as tethered caps for all necessary neck finishes and sports closures, which are all adjustable to customer specifications.

Capping off market changeovers
According to a Bericap-commissioned consumer study on tethered caps, which will become mandatory in Europe in July 2024, consumers are willing to embrace the more eco-friendly closures if they also have handling benefits.

Consumers were found to favor the 180-degree opening angle of the cap over conventional closures.In line with this, Innova Market Insights found that less than 30% of global consumers are willing to compromise product convenience and handling to reduce the amount of plastic used in packaging.

The company surveyed consumers to find out how the ClipAside caps compare to conventional closures, and the results showed that the intuitive handling and 180-degree opening angle the cap poses are favored.

Beverage manufacturers who change over to ClipAside comply with EU Directive 2019/904, which aims to improve the recycling performance in the beverage and liquid food industry. Switching, however, is not only a method of compliance, as the company argues that an early shift can enhance beverage manufacturers’ brand appeal and improve customer loyalty.

Easy transition
Bericap created ClipAside to enable clients to plan for a quick and easy transition to tethered caps while continuing to manufacture closures with the current tamper equivalent band shape (or to manufacture both types concurrently).

Bericap can easily transition between the regular cut and the tethered cap cut when manufacturing closures in designs that have been modified for the future ClipAside height.

The filling lines may thus effortlessly transition between conventional and tethered caps without the need for any adjustments, accurately reflecting the state of the market. In other words, the company believes that beverage producers are well-suited for a future change-over that is flexible and effective.

Less is more
Bericap has promoted lightweight approaches in all product categories since weight and material savings increase sustainability. These activities include the creation of new neck standards to minimize both bottle and closure material needs, and the ongoing optimization of closure designs in tandem with neck standard creation.

According to the business, it had an essential role in the weight-saving progression of the standard PCO 1810 neck finish to PCO 1881 and, most recently, the new GME 30.40. 

Bericap is presently developing the next ClipAside generation for the GME 30.40 neck finish, which will be significantly lighter than the recently released version.Bericap created ClipAside to enable clients to plan for a quick and easy transition to tethered caps.

Aluminum and plastic pairing
In addition to the ClipAside cap, Bericap is presenting another range of closures to Drinktec visitors. This range was completed in 2021 by aluminum roll-on closures when MALA Verschluss-Systeme became part of the Bericap Group, uniting plastic and aluminum closures under one roof.

They are available on a mass-produced basis or in small production batches for promotions and other special projects.

“Our solution-driven approach is helping our customers to meet future development and production challenges and, ultimately, deliver the optimum result for consumers,” emphasizes Thomas Schmidt, group marketing director at Bericap.

Schmidt says that the company’s recyclable solutions – with reduced weight and material content – ensure that beverage manufacturers only have to make a few small adjustments to their production lines to “drive forward the sustainable transformation of the industry and comply with future statutory requirements.”

“We are saving resources but not taking any shortcuts when it comes to intuitive handling,” he concludes.

By Mieke Meintjes