In line with its aim to use 35% recycled materials by 2025, Guala Closures has launched a project to promote the creation of sustainable closures, with each product developed according to one of the group’s four “design-to” models. The initiative uses a wealth of different materials, from aluminum and agglomerated cork to agave fibers.
Guala Closures’ new Blossom family of sustainable closures is targeting the wines & spirits, olive oil, water and beverage sectors with the aim of offering the “largest variety of state-of-the-art sustainable closures” for each of these markets.
Each of the new products are created in line with one of the group’s four design-to models: Design to Revive, based on recovering and recycling the materials used in the closures; Design to Change, that uses recycled materials or those from renewable sources; Design to Reduce, focused on eliminating unnecessary material and reducing the use of finite resources, and Design to Fade, which aims to create completely biodegradable closures.
Greencap, an aluminum screwcap, is a solution that meets the Design to Revive criteria as it is removable and disposable. Guala Closures has also created safety closures for spirits, made using recyclable PE.
In the Design to Change approach, Opera is a T-bar closure targeting luxury spirits brands comprising a wooden top, agglomerated cork and recycled ABS. Another solution, for the water market, is Spring, featuring a tamper evident ring produced from bio-based polymers, as well as screwcaps with internal liners produced from renewable sources.
Within Design to Reduce, a closure was developed for tequila made from a bio-based composite resin using 30% agave fibers (from waste generated during tequila distillation) and 70% polypropylene.
And when it comes to Design to Fade, Guala Closures is developing closures that can be composted in industrial and home composting conditions. Here, the aim is to create a closure that is biodegradable in all conditions, says the supplier, which is using biodegradable polymers like PHB.
The Blossom offer will be expanded with new solutions going forward.
Guala Closures is aiming to use 35% of recycled material in its production by 2025. It has inked a partnership to produce closures using ocean plastic, and is developing other material sources, including elements recovered from obsolete electrical appliances.
