Sugarcane caps and closures: United Caps finds Brazilian collaborator for improved sustainability

23 Aug 2018 --- International manufacturer of caps and closures United Caps and Braskem, a leading Brazilian petrochemical company, have announced a new collaboration aimed at delivering “Greener” bio-sourced plastic caps and closures made from sugarcane. The new caps and closures will be an addition to the United Caps product portfolio.

“Braskem is pleased to be working with United Caps to bring their more environmentally sustainable “Greener” closure solutions to the caps and closure market,” says Brendan Hill, Sales Manager at Braskem Netherlands B.V.

Bioethanol, the feedstock for “I'm green” Polyethylene, the basis for United Caps “Greener” bioplastic caps, is derived from sugarcane, a renewable alternative to traditional fossil feedstocks. Being a renewable feedstock, sugarcane captures and fixes CO2 from the atmosphere with every growth cycle, which occurs annually. This means that the production of “I'm green” Polyethylene contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions when compared to conventional polyethylene, made from fossil materials.

“As a result, the carbon footprint of “I'm green” Polyethylene is negative, when considering our life cycle analysis. This means that every kilogram of ‘I’m green’ Polyethylene used in United Caps products results in 3.09 kilograms of CO2 being sequestered from the atmosphere,” Hill explains.

“Apart from the feedstock, ‘I’m green’ Polyethylene follows the same production process as traditional fossil Polyethylene, ensuring that our Polyethylene has the same characteristics, quality and properties as the fossil equivalent,” he adds. “It goes without saying that ‘I’m green’ Polyethylene fits all existing end-of-life scenarios and that our ethanol is sustainably sourced with clear chain of custody certification.”

United Caps is initially bringing to market two standard closures manufactured using bioplastic resin from Braskem, including:

• The Victoria closure, a 30/25 screw closure designed for still drinks.
• Proflatseal, ideal for dairy products and still drinks, both pressurized and non-pressurized.

Innovative caps and closures for the food and drink industry are the core business of the Luxembourg-based family company United Caps. The company is known for its custom-designed caps and closures solutions. The company has experienced growth in the high single digits since its 2015 rebranding, with a significant percentage of production being bespoke products that are uniquely designed to meet customer needs in terms of appearance and ease of use, both in the filling line and for the consumer.

Braskem is the largest thermoplastic resins producer in the Americas, with an annual production volume of over 20 million tons, which includes other chemical products and basic petrochemicals, with annual revenue of R$54 billion (US$13.36 billion). With a focus on sustainable solutions in chemicals and plastics, Braskem is present in more than 70 countries, has around 8,000 team members and operates 41 industrial units in Brazil, the United States, Germany and Mexico, the latter in partnership with the Mexican company Idesa.