Recent estimates reveal that one in four bottles of spirits consumed globally may not contain the genuine product. Alarmingly, counterfeit and illicit products comprise 25% to 40% of total consumption in the global spirits market¹, resulting in substantial annual losses in sales and tax revenue. Furthermore, the World Health Organization indicates that 21% of all alcohol consumed worldwide lacks any governmental oversight, being either illegally imported, counterfeited, or untraceable.
In response to this pressing issue, Guala Closures—a leader in food and drink packaging solutions—has introduced MAGNEX, an innovative closure for premium spirits created using EMF (Electromagnetic Forming) technology. This cutting-edge process employs high-velocity magnetic pulses to shape aluminum directly around a mold, resulting in complex geometries, micro-engravings, and three-dimensional textures that traditional aluminum forming cannot replicate. Each closure is co-designed with the brand, seamlessly integrating design with extensive protection features.
Traditional security measures—including holograms, seals, and tamper-evident systems—have proven structurally inadequate. Counterfeiters increasingly utilize accessible technologies to enhance their replication efforts. Therefore, the closure, once merely a functional and aesthetic component of the bottle, must now provide greater security.
“Most anti-counterfeiting measures fight on the same technological ground as the counterfeiters. EMF changes that equation. The geometries and textures we achieve with MAGNEX are physically impossible to reproduce through standard embossing or metallisation, which means the design itself becomes part of the protection mechanism,” remarked Andrea Tassisto, Group Industrial & Technical Director at Guala Closures.
This innovative closure features an EMF-formed aluminum outer shell, a highly sustainable and infinitely recyclable material. Moreover, the inner component can be produced using recycled plastics, minimizing virgin resource usage. Combining this with anti-refilling valves and tamper-evident systems provides multi-layered protection in a single unit. Production occurs at Guala Closures’ Gartcosh facility in Scotland—the only plant in the closures industry equipped with industrial-scale EMF technology.
