Single-use plastic is a problem – and has been for many years. While the material itself is an important and vital part of our lives, not least when it comes to ensuring food safety and reducing food waste , the way it is often produced, used, and discarded can harm our environment. As the EU put it: “The million tonnes of plastic litter that end up in the oceans every year are one of the most visible and alarming signs of these problems, causing growing public concern.”1
Such issues led to the formulation of the EU’s Plastics Strategy, as part of a wider European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy, which was aimed at “tackling the ten single-use plastic items most commonly found on Europe’s beaches, and promoting sustainable alternatives”.2 Different measures were mandated for different products, including outright bans for certain products and packaging design requirements, such as tethered caps for beverage packaging.
The Single-Use Plastic Directive was published in the EU’s Official Journal in June 2019, and set a deadline of the 3rd of July 2024 for certain beverage containers to have their caps attached. By October 2019, the European Standardisation Committee (CEN) started developing standards for tethered caps and lids, and by 2021, the European Commission had published guidelines for all single-use plastic products, including relevant definitions.
Our work on developing a range of compliant solutions began right away, alongside significant investment – in 2021 alone, our Châteaubriant plant in France received €100 million to accelerate the production of tethered closures. All this resulted in a unique achievement – in 2022, in collaboration with leading beverage brands, we launched the world’s first tethered caps for carton packages. And these caps were designed to do more than simply comply with the new regulations.
“During the development of the tethered caps programme, we conducted extensive consumer research to understand consumers behaviour and preferences – our tethered caps have been designed to enhance convenience.”
“They are easy to open and re-close for consumption at a later time. For example, one of our latest introductions to the portfolio, the LightTab™ 30, comes with a visible hook that helps consumers lock the lid in an open position during pouring, providing convenience for at-home consumption.”
Julia Luscher, Vice President Marketing Tetra Pak.
In total, over €300 million has been invested to date in the development and roll-out of our tethered caps. Eight separate solutions have been developed since 2021, and during 2023, over 6 billion tethered caps were sold to our customers. By the end of that year, we had managed to convert 73% of the total installed base in Europe ahead of the legal obligation; by March 2024, that figure was 80%, with over 170 customers deploying them to over half a billion consumers. By June 2024, we had delivered over 12 billion caps.
The purpose of tethered caps is, of course, to help prevent litter, as the cap now stays attached to the package. However, there are numerous other positives for both producers and consumers. A cap’s carbon footprint can be reduced when converting to a plant-based option – polymers derived from responsibly sourced sugarcane – since the material comes from renewable sources that grow back and absorb CO2 from the atmosphere as they do so. Additionally, a majority of our tethered cap portfolio features a reduced amount of plastic – depending on the various solutions, the plastic content reduction ranges from 7% to 55%.
“Nowadays, consumers are increasingly concerned and conscious about environmental issues; once the reasons behind the introduction of tethered caps are explained, they acknowledge the added benefits, in addition to their usual convenience.”
Riccardo Vellani, Product Director for Additional Materials at Tetra Pak
So, what is the precise scope for the tethering requirements of the Single-Use Plastic Directive? In general, the tethering requirements do not apply to liquid food products that are not considered beverages, as in the case of soups, fruit purees, or yoghurts. This relates to the fact that these products either require preparation before consumption, or are not consumed by drinking.
Examples here could include a Tetra Brik® Aseptic 2000 Slim HeliCap™ 27 with soup, a Tetra Prisma® Aseptic 1000 Square HeliCap™ 27 for gazpacho, and a Tetra Gemina® Aseptic 1000 Square HeliCap™ 27 for tomato passata – none of these are subject to the Single-Use Plastic Directive.
With the directive now in force in all EU member states, what comes next? Beyond the EU, there’s also potential for tethered caps in other geographies, and we will continue to work closely with our customers all over the world, so we are prepared for new regulations or initiatives. Business’ focus on environmental impact is seemingly at a tipping point – when asked how packaging and processing suppliers can contribute, 65% of Food and Beverage companies identified the importance of new product developments3, confirming the critical role played by innovation in our global fight against climate change.
Consumers are also beginning to see how they can play a role – across the globe, 78% of those surveyed are concerned about plastic waste and its impact on the environment4 and are taking action to prevent litter. We will continue to develop our solutions based on four main areas aimed at enabling the use of renewable materials, maximising the value of recycled materials, minimising littering, and making sure the package of the future is designed for recycling. Tethered caps are the new standard, but we are just getting started.
Notes
1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?qid=1516265440535&uri=COM:2018:28:FIN
2 https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/plastics/single-use-plastics_en
3 Tetra Pak’s business-to-business research on Planetary Challenges and their impact on F&B manufacturers’ operations has been run in 2023, based on a combined methodology - quantitative research panel and qualitative component (expert interviews). Qualitative research included approx. 20 interviews conducted with Tetra Pak’s internal experts plus 12 with the F&B manufacturers, distributed across all regions that are within the scope of the project. Quantitative research comprised 346 interviews across 19 markets (Italy, Poland, Spain, France, Germany, UK, Australia, India, South Africa, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, China, Vietnam, USA, South Korea, South Arabia, Turkey, Japan).
4 Tetra Pak’s latest Sustainable Packaging consumer research, run in 2023, comprised a total of 14,500 consumer interviews based on an online questionnaire in 29 markets: Germany, France, UK, Italy, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, South Africa, Egypt, China, India, Japan, Australia, Indonesia, Philippines, South Korea, Vietnam, Brazil, USA, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina