When thinking of creating beverage packaging, sustainability, a terrific beverage label design and premium packaging goes without saying. But recently, there has been an increased demand for tethered closures. In fact, there are some states and countries throughout the world that are looking to make these handy dandy bottle tops a regulation.

The fight against plastic litter is intensifying in the CPG industry, with bottle caps as a target. Ordinarily, such tiny and notorious trash tend to slip away from recycling streams towards landfills or worse still find themselves in our oceans. Welcome to tethered closures as the contemporary instrument for fighting pollution.

This article will look at tethered closures and why they are becoming so popular.

So what is this tethered closure?

Just imagine your regular cap but it has a secure hinge or tether that permanently joins it to the bottle. This one minor alteration makes all the difference. With such attachments, caps will hardly fly off and become refuse. In particular, this applies to single-use plastic bottles which are major sources of plastic pollution.

Their environmental advantages are beyond doubt with EU for example requiring a directive on beverage cans to reduce plastic waste [1]. However, this trend is more than just legislation because now customers prefer sustainable packaging and CPGs are responding in kind. Keeping up with these demands while maintaining product functionality can be accomplished through tethered closures.

They Prevent Pollution

According to beach cleanup surveys, plastic caps have ranked as the third or fourth most common type of litter. This is one of the reasons why states like California are looking to make tethered caps a must. Europe has been lobbying for similar goals for years and tethered caps will become mandatory in the country in July of 2024.

They Take Up Less Space

Tethered caps make the overall height of the bottle shorter. Therefore, they can fit on more supermarket shelves.

Certainly, no design is perfect and there are some concerns about possible drawbacks like increased material consumption or difficulty in recycling the cap itself among others. However, it seems that overall environmental gain outweighs any downsides involved here.

They’re Convenient for Customers

No one wants to lose the cap for their bottle of water. Once that happens, the bottle is difficult to carry, susceptible to objects flying in it, and impossible to store. A tethered cap solves these issues making it a convenient solution for drinkers.

Tethered closures could also have other benefits for CPG firms apart from environmental gains. Bottling lines’ efficiency may be improved by these kinds of closures which reduce production costs [2]. Additionally, a brand may demonstrate its commitment towards sustainability through the use of tethered closures.

Different Types of Tethered Caps

The new legislation in Europe, and possibly the rest of the world, means companies will want to stay ahead of the curve by adding tethered caps to their bottles, and the sooner the better. Here are some models to choose from.

Though they have been recently introduced as part of combating plastics pollution, tethered closures represent a huge leap forward for businesses operating under CPGs. And it’s not long before they will overtake everything else on shelves since CPG companies keep innovating whereas consumers call for more sustainable packages today as well as tomorrow.

The Relax Model: This model features two straps that tether the cap to the packaging. The loose design means the drinker can fix the cap in three different positions on the bottleneck after the bottle is open. This cap will work with type 1881 and 1810 bottle mouths.

The Soul Model: The soul version allows the user to bend the cap back to an angle of approximately 180 degrees. It stays attached via a thread with a small pin. It is available for bottle mouth type 1810.

The Dance Model: With the dance model, the cap remains connected to the closure ring on the bottleneck via a single band. This allows it to be placed in various positions next to the opening. It is suitable for bottle mouth type 1881.

Problems with the Tethered Cap in America

Although tethered caps will be a must in Europe, it is unclear as to whether California and the United States will follow suit. The bill to make the switch was introduced in 2017 proposing that all beverage containers should have tethered caps by 2020. However, the measure did not come up for a vote as opponents stated that it wouldn’t give beverage companies enough time to update their bottling machinery. No further proposals have been made since.

Despite what may or may not be passed as a law, tethered bottles are preferred by the increasing number of eco-friendly consumers and maybe the way of the future. If you’re on board to make this update or any other update to your custom package design, Lien Design can help.

Lien Design has years of package design expertise, and we are always on top of the latest trends. We will give your packaging a new look you will love. Contact us to find out how we can help you reach your goals.