PETpla.net Insider 01+02 / 2020

CAPS & CLOSURES 8 PET planet Insider Vol. 21 No. 01+02/20 www.petpla.net United Caps and LyondellBasell present three varieties of tethered caps Bonded to the bottle Caps that stay attached to the bottle after it has been opened, known as tethered caps, have been presented jointly by United Caps and LyondellBasell at the K trade fair. This design requirement will be obligatory for single use beverage bottles in Europe by July 2024. PETplanet: United Caps and LyondellBasell are presenting the results of their joint project: three vari- eties of tethered caps. Please could you describe your cooperation on this project? Hoffmann-Leist: When the dis- cussion about tethered caps began, we initially noticed great confusion in the market. So, we approached our long-term partner LyondellBasell to see if we could sit together and reflect on what would be required and discuss what was to be done. We initi- ated the Alliance for Closure Tethering (ACT) with LyondellBasell on our side as a resin producer. The brand owner Spadel is also part of the ACT and many more. This was in the middle of 2018. A big plus of the ACT is that it works very effectively with short dis- cussion pathways. That’s why we are able to present three different solu- tions already today which we began to design early this year. Trocherie: Each ACT partner brought their particular expertise to the project. As a resin producer, we proposed different resins which are tailored to the requirements of still and carbonated beverages. PETplanet: What different resins have been proposed for the specific properties? Trocherie: For the non-carbon- ated beverages where we don’t need resistance to stress cracking, the grade chosen is Purell GC7260G, an organoleptic resin offering flexibility in terms of processing and allowing broad processing conditions. For the screw-with-hinge design for Carbonated Soft Drinks (CSD) and aseptically filled beverages, the selected resins are the grades Hos- talen 5231H and Hostalen 5231H UV. They can be implemented for a very high level of carbonisation as they show good stress cracking resistance (ESCR) performance. Due to high throughput in processing, they also increase productivity and save energy by allowing the use of a lower injec- tion temperature. PETplanet: Caps and closures manufacturers offer a variety of teth- ered closure designs these days. Some of them require a longer neck to attach the closure. Which designs did you choose? Reimann: We are presenting three different designs, and to antici- pate, all of them can be used with standard necks. The first design is a double-slitted TE-band design, known as a “lasso” design. This design has the advan- tage that it allows the use of existing moulds, thus reducing implementation complexity. There is also no increase in weight compared to classic non- tethered closures and it is available for all major neck finishes. The second design has been developed for still water. This press- on design offers a lightweight solution. The third design – a screw-with- hinge variant – can be used for all kind of beverages. This one is the most sophisticated because it has CAPS & CLOSURES Screw-with- hinge design for all kind of beverages Double-slitted- TE-band design (widely known as “lasso” design) for all kind of beverages Press-on design for non-pressur- ised beverages by Gabriele Kosmehl & Heike Fischer From left: Ms Astrid Hoffmann-Leist, Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer at United Caps, Mr Benedict Reimann, Innovation Manager at United Caps, Ms Isabelle Trocherie, Business Development Manager Healthcare & Closures LyondellBasell, Gabriele Kosmehl & Heike Fischer