Following the publication in May of 2018 by the EU Commission of a proposal for requiring tethered closures for single use plastics (SUP), UNITED CAPS spearheaded the Alliance for Closure Tethering (ACT) to bring together segment leaders in the packaging industry to conduct an impact assessment of various tethering solutions on existing neck finishes and to determine finishing changes that might be required.

“This move is in line with our long-held principles of openness and transparency and our firmly held belief that our closures should differentiate today and sustain tomorrow. We are pleased that these efforts are delivering results that will be on display at the K 2019 in Hall 8a D12 on the stand of our partner, LyondellBasell”, said Benoit Henckes, CEO UNITED CAPS. “Tethered closures are expected to be pivotal in changing public attitudes towards the use of single-use plastic as well as littering. But they do present challenges for the industry, specifically around cost of closures and the ease with which they can be integrated into the production process, including the potential need for retooling bottling machines,” Henckes added. “That is why we initiated ACT – to support better integration into the supply chain with a united, rather than standalone, solution. We are looking forward to introducing the outcome of this collaboration to industry stakeholders at K 2019.”

The LyondellBasell grades Purell GC 7260G and Hostalen 5231H are part of the new tethered closure solutions developed to comply with the new directive. Purell GC 7260G is the benchmark grade for still beverage closures featuring excellent organoleptic properties. Hostalen 5231H is an innovative grade for light weight closures that features very high stress cracking resistance thanks to LyondellBasell’s innovative catalyst technology. The red color of the closure was obtained using LyondellBasell’s Polybatch Color Masterbatch.

“We are excited to have contributed together with UNITED CAPS to designing a new packaging solution that complies with the EU plastic strategy”, stated Gianluca Brescia, Director Polyethylene Europe at LyondellBasell. “Responsibly managing the disposal of plastics is important, which is why LyondellBasell has been one of the driving forces in this value chain collaboration initiative. Our innovation capabilities have helped to make this project a success.”

K 2019, the world’s leading trade fair for the plastics and rubber industry, is scheduled for 16 to 23 October at Messe Düsseldorf in Germany.

For more information about products and services from UNITED CAPS, please visit www.unitedcaps.com.

Note to Journalists: Astrid Hoffmann-Leist and Gianluca Brescia will be available for one-on-one meetings with members of the press at the show on October 16th, and Benedict Reimann will be available subsequently.
To schedule a one-on-one meeting with a UNITED CAPS and LyondellBasell expert, please contact monika.d@duomedia.com or jasmin.bisch@lyondellbasell.com

PRESS CONTACT
Monika Dürr
duomedia
monika.d@duomedia.com
+49 (0)6104 944895

ABOUT LYONDELLBASELL
LyondellBasell (NYSE: LYB) is one of the largest plastics, chemicals and refining companies in the world. Driven by its employees around the globe, LyondellBasell produces materials and products that are key to advancing solutions to modern challenges like enhancing food safety through lightweight and flexible packaging, protecting the purity of water supplies through stronger and more versatile pipes, improving the safety, comfort and fuel efficiency of many of the cars and trucks on the road, and ensuring the safe and effective functionality in electronics and appliances. LyondellBasell sells products into more than 100 countries and is the world's largest producer of polymer compounds and the largest licensor of polyolefin technologies. In 2019, LyondellBasell was named to Fortune magazine's list of the "World's Most Admired Companies."  More information about LyondellBasell can be found at www.LyondellBasell.com.

ABOUT UNITED CAPS
UNITED CAPS is a global industry reference for the design and production of high performance plastic caps and closures. Extensive innovative capabilities and a broad portfolio of advanced standard and bespoke solutions make UNITED CAPS a preferred partner for the world’s leading companies. We support our customers’ value chain by safeguarding product integrity, assuring safety and consumer health, and ultimately protecting brand reputation. As a highly dynamic and flexible family-based group, UNITED CAPS offers end-to-end solutions to serve a wide range of applications and markets around the world. The company is headquartered in Luxembourg and has manufacturing facilities in Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malaysia and Spain. Employing almost 600 people, UNITED CAPS’s turnover amounts to 149 million Euros (as at end 2018).
www.unitedcaps.com