Material and product design for recyclable screw caps made of paper fiber

Important results from the project

The project´s aim and objective has been material and product design for recyclable screw caps made of fiber material with a focus on screw caps for tubes. The goal was also to manufacture a bio-based polymer and from this produce an inner liner for the screw caps. An environmental analyzes would be carried out for the developed solution. In many ways the goals have been exceeded. The caps were presented as part of a new tube concept at a major packaging fair and through tests have met recycling tests. However, the production of innerliner from the produced biopolymer was not successful.

Expected long term effects

In the project, materials were designed for press molding which in tests met the requirements to be recycled as paper. The product design was proven in consumer tests with prototypes meeting the market´s eligibility requirements for functionality. The developed fiber cap more than halved the environmental load measured as CO2 equivalents compared to conventional alternatives. For the commercialization of tube applications, brand owners highlight the need for an all-paper fiber system solution and request a paper fiber tube neck to offer a tube solution that is fully recyclable.

Approach and implementation

The project was carried out with strong partners both from business and universities with expert knowledge in the material areas concerned. A machine supplier was also linked to the activities, which gave additional strength. Early on a goal was set to showcase a cap at an international packaging fair, which took place halfway into the project. It gave priority and time pressure that benefited the project and also contributed with extra resources outside the project framework. The fair participation generated a lot of interest and additional resources from external stakeholders.