The closure remains attached to the carton throughout its entire lifetime, which the company said helps tackle the problem of marine littering by ensuring that the cap is disposed of properly. It is also Elopak’s lightest screw cap to date, helping to reduce the use of plastics.
As cartons can be recycled with the tethered cap attached, the Pure-TwistFlip is designed to provide a new option for brands looking to meet the growing consumer demand for sustainable packaging, without compromising on convenience or product integrity.
Elopak CMO Patrick Verhelst said, “Sustainability is a central driver of our innovation efforts at Elopak, in which we are continually seeking to raise the bar and improve on past performance.
“We have invested heavily in developing more environmentally-friendly packaging solutions that meet the same high standards our customers are used to, and at the same time offer them a way to package their products in a manner that fits with a low carbon circular economy. By combining Elopak’s Pure-Pak carton with the Pure-TwistFlip cap, brands can now choose a package that both helps prevent marine littering and reduces the use of plastics.”
Elopak said even with a regular cap, studies have shown UHT milk cartons result in 70.7% less CO2 emissions and for fresh milk, 83.6% less CO2 emissions compared to disposable PET bottles.
The innovation is expected to launch to the market in the fall of 2021.
Elopak already offers customers sustainability-focused innovations such as Natural Brown Board cartons, which are renewable, recyclable and have a lower CO2 footprint owing to reduced wood consumption and the elimination of the bleaching process.
Elopak also offers cartons without a cap. The Pure-Pak Imagine is a modern version of the company’s original Pure-Pak carton. Designed with a new easy open feature, it contains 46% less plastic and is 100% forest-based.
Elopak has been carbon neutral since 2016 and in 2019 was one of the first companies in the world to formally pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions in line with criteria set by the Science Based Targets initiative aimed at keeping the global average temperature increase below 1.5C.
