Food and Beverage Business
Packaging

Transition to Tethered Caps and Lighter Bottles: CCEP Joins Forces with Sidel

Transition to Tethered Caps and Lighter Bottles: CCEP Joins Forces with Sidel CCEP, lighter bottles, Sidel, tethered caps Food and Beverage Business

Sidel, a leading provider of food packaging solutions, has partnered with Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) to introduce tethered caps for PET bottles in order to enhance collection and recycling efforts and combat litter.

CCEP, mandated to adopt these changes by July 2024 as part of the single-use plastic (SUP) law, recognized the opportunity to adopt a more sustainable packaging solution. Collaborating with Sidel, CCEP has successfully transitioned to a lighter neck for its carbonated soft drinks (CSD) plastic bottles, resulting in a 1 gram reduction in weight.

The implementation of attached caps and the adoption of the new lighter neck posed several technical challenges for CCEP, including selecting the appropriate preforms and caps, as well as configuring the existing PET packaging lines across Europe.

Right from the project’s inception, CCEP worked closely with Sidel to streamline the implementation of cap, preform, and OEM technical modifications on the equipment. The planning phase included pilot tests conducted on two different lines, including a Sidel line in Barcelona which was converted to accommodate both tethered capping and the new lighter neck GME30.40.

These tests allowed Sidel and CCEP to assess the new specifications and equipment configuration, ensuring optimal efficiency, validating quality requirements, and conducting a small-scale market evaluation to gauge consumer acceptance.

Geert Marse, technical packaging lead at CCEP, highlighted the importance of collaborative project management between CCEP and Sidel, emphasizing the value of anticipation, planning, and stakeholder collaboration in ensuring the success of the project.

In some instances, Sidel combined line conversion with line overhaul, while CCEP conducted maintenance activities to optimize product execution and achieve the highest level of line performance.

Marse expressed satisfaction with the preparation and collaboration between the teams, stating, “The majority of converted lines achieved line efficiency objectives. We are fully satisfied with the preparation, including line status assessment, the pilot line tests, and the great collaboration in working together to make this project successful.”

Following the completion of pilot tests in Barcelona, Sidel was entrusted by CCEP to convert all of its Sidel lines in European factories. Line conversions were tailored to each factory’s unique requirements, with some necessitating significant development and adaptation of various equipment elements, such as the preform feeder, blower, capper, cap feeder, and labeller.

As one of the first organizations in the carbonated soft drinks market to adopt tethered caps, CCEP has made significant progress in converting a third of its European PET bottling lines for CSDs with Sidel’s expertise. The final line conversion is slated to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2024.

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