The greener cap
SACMI presents a circular cap supply chain project using food-grade recycled high-density polyethylene (rHDPE). The project was introduced at the K fair.
SACMI PURECAP is a circular economy project that aims to create a sustainable supply chain using food grade-certified rHDPE. At K 2025, the new CCM64MD was showcased, the new fast compression moulding press (up to 2,850 capsules per minute with 64 moulds), able to process input resin mixtures, dosing virgin granules with PURECAP ones. At demos, the press produced 26/22 GME30.28 tethered caps for water, with a recycled resin content of up to 50%. Existing CCMs can be upgraded just by adding a dosing kit at the extruder inlet.
The SACMI PURECAP project addresses European and international regulatory developments. Beyond existing standards for PET, by 2030 there will be a minimum recycled resin content requirement for beverage closures, according to SACMI’s interpretation of the Packaging & Packaging Waste Regulation. SACMI aims to lead by offering a complete industrial supply chain, from recycled material selection to finished caps.
The company uses a mechanical recycling process that has less impact than chemical recycling, both in economic and CO2 emissions terms. The input material of PURECAP project are polyolefin flakes coming from the PET recycling stream: the widespread use of the new tethered standard, which encourages the disposal of caps together with bottles, makes it easier to source the plastic. Flakes are selected and separated by polymer and colour, extruded, decontaminated and pelletised. The obtained material then undergoes functional and mechanical testing both at external labs and at SACMI’s Rigid Packaging LAB, in both pellet and cap form, in order to guarantee its performance.
Beyond machines, moulds, and cap design, the company has set itself the goal of providing a production recipe that optimises the virgin-to-recycled plastic ratio, colourant parameters for desired colours, and CCM line settings to meet brand owner standards.
This solution saves virgin plastic proportional to rHDPE content and reduces emissions by up to 50% per kg of recycled resin used.