Plastic Closures in Beverages

Plastic Closures in Beverages
An integral part of the
user experience
Key considerations when designing
a closure for beverage applications
Caps & closures Industry
Key market trends and solutions
Long gone are the days when all beverage bottles and containers were fitted with simple
screw caps. Consumers of every age and social and economic background expect more
than a top that will just secure the product contents.
Today plastic caps and closures must meet the growing demand for more convenience,
controlled dispensing and eco-friendly packaging.
This white paper from Global Closure Systems (GCS) examines these emerging trends, and
the latest innovations and technologies available to beverage and drinks producers seeking
new closure solutions in response to the changing requirements of end users.
1.
Convenience & On-the-go
Convenience has always been king in the USA. As more and more people eat and drink on
the move – at school, at work, in the gym and while travelling – products that are designed
for on-the-go consumption are growing in popularity.
In fact, a large part of the population lives in urban areas, and packaging for city dwellers
should take into account that many of them walk, use public transport and live in smaller
homes.
Due to increasingly hectic lifestyles prevalent in all age groups, especially among the
Millennial generation, it has become even more important to connect with modern
consumers and to adapt to their evolving behaviors and expectations.
Consumers want packaging that is portable and easy to hold, open, use and reseal. This
means that beverage packaging must be sturdy, compact and lightweight, making it both
easy to carry and consume while still preventing spillage.
Closures are bringing value to busy
consumers that do not want to be tied down.
For example, flip-top closures mean multitaskers can open and consume their drinks
using just one hand and so enjoy their
favorite drinks more easily.
GCS bespoke valve solutions
for beverage enhancers
Caps & closures Industry
Key market trends and solutions
Few closures suppliers are able to offer cutting-edge valved flip-top closures with a non-spill
feature and improved flow control. Thus, the bottle can be safely tipped upside down without
risk of spills or leaks, making it ideal for the playground, at work or on the move.
Valved closures provide the cleanest, easiest and most convenient drinking experience.
Using Hinge Expertise to meet Customers’ Needs
Some innovative flip-top closures also feature a double hinge, which enables the closure to
open easily to 180°, holding it in that position for more convenience.
For example, the sports cap experts at GCS have
developed a patented snap-back hinge which locks
open into a full 180° position to avoid hitting the
face. Its unique design offers a clear view of the
opening and less risk of lid interference during
dispensing.
In addition, the closure has been designed to
conform to the BSDA and EN71 safety standards,
giving assurance that all consumers including
children can drink safely out of bottles fitted with it.
GCS’ new sports cap generation
GCS patented snap back hinge
Caps & closures Industry
Key market trends and solutions
2.
Personalization
Consumers want product personalization. Beverage brands, and ultimately closure suppliers,
are constantly looking for ways to personalize products. The ‘Share a Coke’ campaign is a
good and often-quoted example.
But personalization is not just about labelling. Personalization is evolving in a number of
forms such as product taste and flavor. One part of the market where we can see this trend
emerging is in the beverage enhancers segment.
Demand for beverage enhancers, also known as flavor enhancers, has been booming in
the USA for the last five years. Consumers use them to add a small amount of concentrated
liquid to water or coffee to produce a personalized beverage.
In late 2014, food and drink giant Nestlé
launched its new Coffee-mate® 2GO™
creamer range to satisfy the lifestyle
expectations of on-the-go coffee drinkers in
North America.
This new product for the Coffee-mate®
brand and the creamer category is a
conveniently sized, 90ml portable creamer
that does not require refrigeration, allowing
consumers to transform their ordinary cup of
coffee anywhere and at any time.
The key element of the pack is a silicone
valve which is specifically designed to
perfectly match the product formulation and
provide a single, straight directional stream,
as well as consistent and rapid cut-off.
No drip. No spill.
GCS bespoke closure solution
The closure’s unique design has been developed with a 180° hinge opening for better
convenience, which closes with a reassuring ‘click’ sound and means no spills in the bag.
New dispensing solutions for liquid beverage enhancers bring convenience to the
consumers, especially the Millennials, who have grown up accustomed to getting what they
want the way they want it and when they want it.
Caps & closures Industry
Key market trends and solutions
Valve enhances consumer experience
Some closure manufacturers can offer a large array of valve options – each valve having its
own special features. For example, the snowflake VSA (Valve Sub-Assembly) from GCS offers
excellent flow control and a clean cut-off for a wide range of product viscosities. It delivers
optimum dispensing and sealing operations, providing enhanced convenience to consumers
with controlled, precise dosing and a ‘stay clean’ performance.
Slits sealed in relaxed position
Pressure applied to valve
Head moves, improving seal
Increased pressure rolls valve head
Valve petals open and product flows
GCS’ Valve in action
Design considerations
The valve choice has to result from the perfect combination between product formulation and
container design/material to provide the ultimate in packaging performance. New product
formulas have to be evaluated by plastic closure suppliers to offer the most fitting solutions.
Container design and material are also key for an optimal functioning pack. Good valve
performance is only achievable with a suitable container design to enable the valve to function
correctly. Key aspects such as shape, size and material must be taken into account when
selecting or designing a suitable container.
Caps & closures Industry
Key market trends and solutions
3.
Safety
Packaging has a crucial function: to protect the content and maintain product integrity,
inform the consumer and allow safe distribution.
Tamper evidence and anti-counterfeit features are key requirements for leading FMCG players
and closures must enable consumers to visibly and easily assess that the product has not
been altered since it left the manufacturer.
Child Safety and Integral Tamper evidence
Brands obviously want to use packaging that will keep children safe. Hence, good design and
high-quality construction of the closure are an absolute necessity.
Tiny closures and closures with small, removable parts can be swallowed or lodge in the
windpipe, ears or nostrils. Furthermore, a high-quality closure will not break easily or leave
jagged edges.
GCS has developed a high-tech tri-color flip-top sports closure with a translucent
polypropylene body incorporating a unique integral tamper-evident band, which remains
within the closure after opening.
It is completely inaccessible and therefore inviolable, even with an external tool.
The translucent material for the closure body and flip-top allows a clear view of
the color-contrasted tamper-evident band. When the flip-top is pushed open for
the first time the band’s bridges break automatically, the lower section then drops
to the base of the spout and is retained there as permanent evidence of opening.
A significant benefit of this tamperevident design is that no separate strip
of plastic is thrown away. It is a truly
sustainable and child-friendly closure.
Before first opening
After first opening
GCS’ patented integral tamper evident band
Since 2011, Nestlé Waters has specified
GCS’ intuitive tamper-evident sports
cap for its European range of small
format water bottles.
Caps & closures Industry
Key market trends and solutions
Anti-counterfeit closures
Spirits manufacturers are looking for dispensing
systems that bring a high level of protection to
address the very real risk of refilling.
GCS, a leading manufacturer of spirits closures,
has recently introduced a new high-quality
standard security closure that does not
compromise performance for cost. It is a nonrefillable closure that has a clever tamper-evident
ring built into the top part of the body. The ring
breaks off if forced removal from the bottle is
attempted, leaving permanent evidence which is
immediately visible to consumers.
The ingenious design of the closure also reduces
costs by using a lightweight method to transport
the fitment inside the cap during transit until it
reaches the capping head.
TIVA® 2 - GCS high quality security closures
for the spirits market
This product also has an impressive sealing capability due to a patented flange design.
The flange carries the valve in the shell and creates the seal on the glass after application,
hence a seamless changeover between TIVA® 2 and a standard aluminium closure. It
also provides a smooth pour to meet the demands of busy bartenders who want to be
able to empty a 70cl bottle of spirits in less than 75 seconds. In addition, the closure’s
non-drip feature ensures all the alcohol goes in the consumer’s glass and not on the
counter top.
Caps & closures Industry
Key market trends and solutions
4.
Sustainability
Sustainability refers to growth that meets the needs of the present, without robbing future
generations of the raw materials or environmental quality that they will need to meet their
own needs.
Citizens in the USA are more concerned than ever about the environment. Consumers want
companies that manufacture products with a focus on their lifestyle and well-being while
being eco-friendly. For many products, it has been up to the packaging to deliver this green
message.
New packaging designs using environmentally friendly materials and processes are
important to the concept of sustainability.
“Eco-conception is about minimizing the impact for a given functional and market
specification by choosing the right material, applying creative design skills and using modern
tools for structural and functional optimization,” states Nicholas Thorne, Vice President R&D
of Global Closure Systems.
Despite the often-negative perception of packaging, the caps and closures industry has, over
the last decade or more, significantly and proactively reduced its carbon footprint, finding
the best environmental solution to meet consumer demand as well as brand expectations.
Across all markets – beverage, personal care, food, and so on – weight reduction is today an
essential priority in the design brief of both standard and custom-made products.
“As we progress, numerical modelling tools are indispensable in order to optimize closure
weights while maintaining functional performance,” adds Mr Thorne.
Structural optimisation
optimisation
Structural
(security
closure)
(security closure)
Reverse
engineering
Reverse engineering
(weight
(Weight vs
vs rigidity)
rigidity)
Sealing
Sealing performance
performance
Caps & closures Industry
Key market trends and solutions
Convenience, Safety and Style
The watchwords of the packaging industry.
Thanks to its market-driven focus and best-in-class design and manufacturing facilities,
GCS is able to provide customers and ultimately consumers with innovative and value-added solutions.
GCS creates value by developing closure systems that are more user-friendly to open, pour
and close and easier to keep clean, as well as improving quality, safety and brand image.
About Global Closure Systems
With a consolidated revenue of €591 million in 2014 and approximately 3 500 employees,
Global Closure Systems is one of the world’s largest providers of closure solutions for the
FMCG market.
Thanks to its 21 production sites strategically located in 13 countries all around the world
GCS manufactures close to 40 billion plastic and metal closures per annum.
GCS offers over 2 700 designs of standard and custom closures and dispensing systems
for the global beverage, food, health care, household & industry, personal care, and wine &
spirits markets.
www.gcs.com
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