Caps and closures: market overview and product innovations

While maybe taken for granted or discarded aimlessly along with bottles, caps and closures are undergoing subtle design changes to fit the needs of the times. Innovation follows sustainability and waste reduction measures, as seen in the latest products released by companies such as BERRY, United Caps, and CSI. Case in point, tethered caps, the emerging use of certain recycled materials, and seals and features that extend product shelf life and quality.

In 2023, the market for caps and closures was forecast to reach USD 74.64 billion, according to a report from Grand View Research. Sustained by the demand for food and beverages, the market is currently growing at a CAGR of 4.9% 2030, the firm said.

Accounting for the highest revenue, the beverages segment share rose to over 27.0% in 2023. Functional beverages such as energy and sports drinks, probiotic beverages, meal replacers, and fruit & vegetable-based beverages that can be packaged in glass and plastic bottles, will likely spur the segment growth, the report from Grand View Research stated. It also noted that consumption of packaged food products, Ready-To-Eat (RTE) meals, and on-the-go snacks will drive segment growth from 2024-2030. While in healthcare, growing demand for senior-friendly as well as child-resistant closures that minimise incidences of accidental ingestion of over-the-counter (OTC) medications by infants and children will augment demand for caps and closures in this segment.

Indeed, tamper-resistance and shelf life protection are key in caps and closures, but so is ease of use.

Expanding in Southeast Asia in 2023, BERICAP opened a production site in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam that manufactures modern closure solutions for food, dairy and beverages. “Tamper-evident closure solutions are particularly relevant for manufacturers in the Vietnamese market who are keen to protect themselves against product piracy,” said Swee Heng Lee, Managing Director of BERICAP Vietnam back then. “BERICAP has the right solutions for these manufacturers, and the fact that they are also easy to use and therefore consumer-friendly explains why they are very much in demand.”

Companies increasingly consider recycled materials in manufacturing caps. Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) aluminium, steel, and plastic, which can undergo further processing and can be utilised as raw material, are among these. For example, the lightweight tube closure solutions offered by Berry Global, Inc. are manufactured using virgin plastics including polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) and can be additionally manufactured using post-consumer recycled plastics (rPE and rPP) from the company’s internal closed-loop recycling facility.

Metal closures are widely used for covering beverage glass bottles, metal cans of food products, as well as bottles of pharmaceuticals. Glass, cork, and rubber, which are gaining popularity as these offer robust sealing solutions as well as provide aesthetic appeal to packaging.

Based on product, the market is divided into screw closures, dispensing caps, aerosol closures, crown closures, and other segments. Screw closures segment held the largest revenue share of over 32.0% in 2023. Screw closures can be easily screwed on and off containers, allowing for repeated opening and closing without compromising the integrity of the product. This makes them suitable for a wide range of applications, from food and beverages to pharmaceuticals and personal care products.

Dispensing caps of various types including pumps, triggers, and flip flops among others, are used in multiple end-use industries, such as food, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, and automotive. Availability of various types of dispensing caps according to the product being packaged, convenience in usage, and controlled flow of packaged products are anticipated to boost the growth of this segment.

Crown closures are primarily made up of metal and have crown-like structures. Crown closures are predominantly used for glass bottles of beer, energy drinks, and soft drinks. Thus, rising consumption of beverages is expected to lead to increasing demand for packaging closures.

Innovative products

Closure Systems International (CSI) uses PolyCycle PCR material in its products when requested. The company offers closure diameters ranging from 18mm to 100mm, which means they have a closure for practically any kind of container, from single-serve liquor bottles to large peanut butter jars. The closures are compatible with different bottle and package types, bottle finishes, and application/fill processes.

UNITED CAPS has introduced many of its products to the Asian market. Among them is the 23 H-PAK and 23 PAK tethered closures for carton packaging. The 23 H-PAK is a high-performance alternative closure that can be used on most installed filling lines without the requirement for additional investments. Its design has a clean and smooth opening, cutting through the prelaminated hole with minimal effort. An audible click when opening notifies consumers that their closure is in the perfect open position. Once opened, it is in the perfect position for use, providing optimised no-drip flow of product during dispensing.

Tethered closure from UNITED CAPS

The 26/22 beverage closures, tethered or untethered, for the GME 30.40 neck finish has a thread diameter of only 26 mm, reducing the weight of the neck and closure by between 1.4 and 1.7 grams. This is rapidly becoming the industry standard for carbonated soft drinks, according to the company.

The Bump Cap helps consumers reduce food waste, thanks to an intelligent freshness indicator that notifies consumers if the contents in the bottle have begun to degrade. Once beverage begins to degrade, bumps occur on the top of the cap, giving a tactile indicator of freshness.

Origin recently announced a tethered PET cap that complements its previously announced PET closure. This is said to the world’s lightest CSD (carbonated soft drink) cap compatible with the PCO 1881 neck finish and the first PET cap produced with commercial-scale equipment.

Tethered PET cap from Origin

Origin uses the threads of the PET cap and bottle to lock the cap into place, angled away from the mouth, not toward it. Material of choice for the caps are virgin PET, recycled PET (rPET), or bio-based PET.

The PCO 1881-compatible caps will be commercially available beginning in Q4 2024, with PCO 1881-compatible tethered caps to follow afterward.

Sources: Grand View Research, BERRY, Closure Systems International, UNITED CAPS