Elopak launches tethered cap for Pure-Pak beverage cartons ahead of EU SUPD

01 Jun 2021 --- Elopak is introducing a new tethered cap solution for its Pure-Pak cartons called the Pure-TwistFlip.

The launch comes as the industry prepares for the EU’s Single Use-Plastics Directive (SUPD), requiring manufacturers to adopt tethered caps and lids that remain attached to containers by July 2024.

Elopak’s new closure remains attached to the carton for its lifetime, helping tackle marine littering by ensuring the cap is disposed of properly.

The closure is also Elopak’s lightest screw cap to date, helping reduce the use of plastics. The innovation is expected to hit the market in Autumn 2021.

Eco-friendly convenience
As cartons can be recycled with the tethered caps attached, the Pure-TwistFlip offers a new option for brands looking to meet the growing consumer demand for environmentally sustainable packaging without compromising convenience or product integrity.

“We are delighted to share the news that our tethered cap solution is now ready. Sustainability is a central driver of our innovation efforts at Elopak, in which we are continually seeking to raise the bar and improve on past performance,” comments Patrick Verhelst, Elopak’s CMO.

“We have invested heavily in developing more environmentally friendly packaging solutions that meet the same high standards our customers are used to, and at the same time offer them a way to package their products in a manner that fits with a low carbon circular economy.”

“By combining Elopak’s Pure-Pak carton with the Pure-TwistFlip cap, brands can now choose a package that both helps prevent marine littering and reduces the use of plastics.”

Beverage carton benefits
Beverage cartons have strong environmental credentials when compared with alternatives such as plastic bottles, Elopak says.

Studies have shown cartons result in 70.7 percent less CO2 emissions when packaging UHT milk even with a regular cap.

In the case of fresh milk, 83.6 percent less CO2 emissions can be achieved compared to disposable PET bottles.

Elopak supplies renewable, recyclable, and carbon-neutral Pure-Pak cartons. The new Pure-TwistFlip cap can be combined with any existing Pure-Pak carton.

The company already offers customers several sustainability-focused innovations such as Natural Brown Board cartons, which are renewable, recyclable and have a lower CO2 footprint due to reduced wood consumption and eliminating the bleaching process.

Capless options
Elopak also offers cartons without a cap. The Pure-Pak Imagine is a modern version of its original Pure-Pak carton launched in June 2020.

Designed with a new easy-open feature, this carton contains 46 percent less plastic and is 100 percent forest-based.

A UN Global Compact participant, Elopak has been carbon neutral since 2016 and in 2019 was one of the first companies in the world to formally pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions in line with criteria set by the Science Based Targets initiative, aimed at keeping the global average temperature increase below 1.5 C.

Tetra Pak and SIG are also supporting the SUPD transition with tethered cap solutions.

Edited by Joshua Poole