Swiss companies must adapt to EU bottle cap regulation

As of July 3, the European Union (EU) has mandated that caps on PET bottles and Tetra Pak cartons must stay attached even after being unscrewed, aiming to reduce plastic waste in the environment. Keystone / Gaetan Bally

Plastic bottles in the European Union (EU) must now have caps that remain attached once unscrewed. Although this regulation does not apply in Switzerland, Swiss companies must still adapt, entailing additional work.

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As of July 3, the European Union (EU) has mandated that caps on PET bottles and Tetra Pak cartons must stay attached even after being unscrewed, aiming to reduce plastic waste in the environment.

Consumers and the industry alike must adjust to this change. Corvaglia, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of plastic closures, is based in Thurgau. The company produces 80 billion units annually across its subsidiaries, accounting for 20% of the global market.

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The new European directive has compelled the industry to overhaul its production within just four years. Romeo Corvaglia, chairman of the board of directors, told French-speaking Swiss radio and television (RTS), “Initially, we resisted this regulation because we thought it was too burdensome for the industry and that the money spent here could be better spent on other things.”

The company has invested CHF10 million ($12 million) in developing the new closures, primarily for export to Europe. However, there is no such requirement for the Swiss market, and many Swiss drinks manufacturers continue using the conventional system.

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Rivella, a company in the canton of Aargau, fills up to 26,000 bottles per hour during the summer peak, using traditional caps. “We don’t see any advantage for these fixed caps in Switzerland,” Martina Pfeiffer, supply chain manager at Rivella, told RTS. “We have a good recycling system, and consumers are also sceptical about the new closures.”

Rivella also exports to France and Luxembourg, necessitating the use of both types of closures and incurring additional costs. “We have extra batches where we have to change the closures. The effort is much greater, especially in planning,” said Pfeiffer.

Adapted from German by DeepL/amva

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