PETpla.net Insider 01+02 / 2021

CAPS & CLOSURES 30 PETplanet Insider Vol. 22 No. 01+02/21 www.petpla.net Designing tethered caps Convenient, comfortable, connected The EU SUP Directive’s tethered closures rule for all beverage containers of up to three litres to have lids that ‘remain attached’ has pushed the effective design and manufacture of such closures up the priority list for plastic packaging manufactures. CAPS & CLOSURES Global plastic packaging manufac- turer Retal is driven to meet and exceed EU targets to deliver on its beverage brand customers’ CSR targets as well as its own strict sustainability goals. Andzejus Buinovskis, design engineer at Retal, is at the heart of the company’s development of its tethered cap solu- tions, which is continually evolving as the brand owner requirements change. Buinovskis says, “The process of devel- oping and changing has been interesting as we’ve been in close communication with our leading beverage brand custom- ers. Their needs are evolving too as they put potential solutions to their test groups of experts and consumers, so sharing ideas has helped to create solutions that we’re really proud of.” Buinovskis and the team work on potential designs using 3D Experience software from Dassault Systèmes, which allows for ultra-detailed model- ling of the tiniest details, which, for such a small end product, can make all the difference. Samples are then produced at its Lithuania plant and sent to cus- tomers for feedback. Buinovskis says, “We are continually developing and are open to other solutions, we have to be flexible in this changing landscape and, thanks to our R&D facilities, we can be nimble in response to our own findings and ideas and our customers’ demands. I am inspired by the feedback we get from our customers and also from the tight restrictions that the requirements and legislations demand.” Design process That balance of inspiration and legislation is where plastic packaging manufacturers are able to offer real advantage. The need to produce connected closures that offer brand differentiation while performing in a comfortable and sustainable manner is the very essence of the single use plastic industry for beverages. With the EU SUP Directive date fast approaching there is no alternative solution, or a possibility to just ‘stay as we are’, so integrating design inspiration with commercial understanding is an exciting opportunity. Buinovskis notes, “All the manufacturers have the same brief, we all know the brand requirements and we all know the EU legislation, so the task is to compound all our knowledge of closures and necks and pressure and weight and everything we know into a viable solution that can be commercially produced, allowing for the brand identity and the shelf differentiation.” Likes and dislikes The very personal nature of the tethered caps means that it is both the ultimate comfort of the end consumer and the environmental issue of effective collection and recycling that is at play. So the test groups offer crucial feed- back on issues such as ease of open- ing in addition to the need for closures to stay connected in order to support efficient sorting of recycled plastic. Buinovskis concludes, “The effective design and manufacture of pleasing-to- use tethered closures is an important chapter in our industry because it repre- sents the future. We will always have to design tethered closures from now on as this legislation and the environmental needs of a circular economy will not go backwards.” www.retalgroup.com