As closure producers ramp up their efforts to become more sustainable, they must also deal with the supply chain crisis and spiralling costs. Joe Bates reports.
A decade ago, sustainability was merely one of several challenges for the closures industry to confront. The topic ranked alongside cork’s battle to eradicate TCA, the chemical responsible for cork taint, and how oxygen transfer rates in different closure types affected wine maturation. Price positioning and aesthetic appearance also vied for the attention of winemakers when choosing which type of stopper to opt for.
Today, as consumer and government pressure on businesses to reduce their carbon emissions grows, sustainability has become a top priority both for closure producers and wine & spirits brand owners.
“Sustainability is a continuous journey that Amcor is willing to be part of,” says Bertrand Daru, sustainability director at Amcor Capsules, the producer of Stelvin screwcaps. “As our screwcaps are made of aluminium, we’re lucky enough to have a product that is already recyclable in most European countries. We aim to go further than that,” he adds. “Our R&D [team] is always working on finding new materials, especially for our liners, inks and varnish. We’re also looking for solutions to lower the weight of our closures and capsules, therefore helping to reduce our clients’ carbon footprint.”
Earlier this year, Italian closure producer Tapì Group produced its first sustainability report. A company spokesperson explains: “A few years ago, we introduced a broad sustainability policy, aiming not only to reduce our environmental impact but also to review … how much energy we use and how we look after the people who … work within our organisation [which comprises five manufacturing facilities and seven sales branches].
“The report aims to record our commitment and dedication to tracking our in-house operations, including purchasing, product creation and manufacture, logistics and delivery to customers, calculating the energy consumption and environmental impact of each operation,” they continue. “We’re also detailing the life cycle of our products, their environmental impact and, most importantly, giving a clear picture of how we are seeking to reduce that on a daily basis.”
Facing up to supply chain issues and spiralling costs
The collective desire of closure producers to speed their journey to a more sustainable future is shared by different, traditionally competing, closure types. Other common challenges that have emerged over the past year are the supply chain crisis and spiralling costs.
“Being part of a leading packaging group has enabled us to avoid shortage of raw materials and maintain service continuity for our customers,” says Amcor MD Yannick Magnon. “Our long-standing relations with our partners … drove us to find solutions, often with longer lead times than in the past, sometimes with some delays, like the overall industry, but still meeting their needs.
“The rapid inflation has significantly increased all our costs, including important raw materials, such as aluminium, putting us in a position that those costs would have to be supported also by our customers to face this unexpected situation. All industries, including glass bottles, cardboard and labels, also had to integrate those increased costs to survive in such a challenging context. The whole industry is impacted.”
Similarly, Bruno de Saizieu, sales & marketing director at technical cork producer Diam Bouchage, which has its headquarters in France, admits that 2022 is shaping up to be a tough year after a successful 2021. Rising raw material costs, supply chain bottlenecks and soaring energy costs in France, Spain and Portugal, countries in which Diam has production plants, have forced the company to raise its prices twice.
“The segment where we are more with Diam is premium and high-quality,” he explains. “It will be affected less than the cheaper [end of the market]. I don’t think it’ll be a good year, but if we can maintain our sales, I’ll be happy.”
Vinolok dials up on glass’ sustainability cues
The United Nations has proclaimed 2022 the ‘International Year of Glass’ (IYOG). A raft of events have been taking place globally to celebrate the unique characteristics of this centuries-old packaging material. The industry hopes to persuade the wider business world that glass, which is infinitely recyclable and reusable, can help in the shift towards a more sustainable future. One of the UN’s goals with the IYOG is to raise the average recycling rate for glass to over 90% by 2030.
Czech-based glass closure producer Vinolok, part of the Preciosa Group, has called the IYOG a “dream come true” and a great opportunity to communicate the sustainable way the company produces its closures. Vinolok sources most of the natural ingredients for its glass, primarily quartz sand, locally within 40km of its headquarters in North Bohemia. It uses an efficient, highly-controlled electric glass-melting process. Each batch contains a proportion of cullet (crushed recycled glass) which releases no CO2 when melted. The use of cullet makes the melting process less energy intensive and more chemically stable.
Vinolok has a target of reducing its carbon footprint by 30% by the end of 2030, through the increased use of renewable energy and by working more closely with suppliers to identify and implement new opportunities for energy efficiency and decarbonisation. There are even plans to construct a new facility by 2026 that will reuse the heat generated by its glass-melting process.
“Consumers expect … authenticity, but also transparency, especially in terms of sustainability,” says Vinolok marketing manager Kateřina Slezáková. “More than ever, we communicate all the advantages of glass in packaging … such as sustainability, inertness, reusability and its safety for storing beverages.”
Later this year, she adds, Vinolok will introduce a campaign focused on rosé wine and spirits. “These markets continue to … demand more originality in packaging, technology and ecology,” observes Slezáková. “Vinolok wants to highlight that glass is infinitely recyclable, making it the perfect material to promote a healthy, circular economy.”
Guala Closures acquisition signals high-end focus
In July, Guala Closures strengthened its position in the luxury segment of the market with the acquisition of rival Italian closure firm Labrenta.
Founded in 1971, Vincenza-based firm Labrenta has grown rapidly in recent years and is on course to post turnover this year in the region of EUR30m (US$30.7m). With 800 customers in 70 countries and plants in Italy, Brazil and Mexico, as well as a commercial branch in the US, Labrenta specialises in high-end closures composed from natural and synthetic material blends that have been produced sustainably. The company also has a reputation for innovation, having taken out 30 patents for its closures in recent years.
Labrenta’s focus on the luxury segment is a good match for Guala , which has also identified this section of the market as both fast-growing and full of potential. At this year’s Packaging of Premium & Luxury Drinks exhibition in Paris, the group unveiled Carat, a new line in closures targeted at high-end spirits and part of its ‘Luxury Closure Artisan’ collection. The range features materials such as zamak, a strong-performing zinc and aluminium alloy, as well as ceramics and glass.
Meanwhile, Guala continues to make big strides in strengthening its sustainability. Recently, the company was awarded ‘International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) Plus’ status for its facilities in Spinetta Marengo, Italy, and Chambray-lèsTours, France. The certification, issued by Bureau Veritas Certification, certifies that the closures produced at the two sites contain ISCC Plus-certified plastic, which meets the sustainability requirements for circular and bio-circular packaging based on a mass-balance approach.
The two facilities produce the Divinum Blossom, the wine screwcap in Guala’s Blossom line of sustainable closures that comes with a sustainable liner made from bio-based plastic. “The Blossom range was born as a further step in the group’s commitment to supporting its clients in their own CSR strategies, with packaging that meets their consumers’ concerns on the environment and complies with growing retail requirements,” says marketing director Violette Montagnese.
“That’s why for a couple of years now, Guala Closures has adopted new eco-design guidelines for the group’s R&D centres, consisting of four defined models (design to reduce, design to change, design to fade, design to revive) for the development of highly innovative and sustainable packaging.”
Guala also remains committed to helping tackle illegal counterfeiting in alcohol. It’s an issue that the group’s NFC-enabled Něstgate solution for both screwcaps and cork stoppers has been specifically designed for. “This digital tamper-detection technology, for cork stopper and screwcap, allows for scanning before and after bottle opening,” explains Montagnese. “An opening-aware NFC tag, embedded within the closure head, digitally registers a unique physical opening event and responds with a ‘change-of-state’ NFC alert.
“Digital anti-counterfeiting NFC offers brand owners robust anti-counterfeit and adulteration protection, without neglecting the other benefits in terms of logistics, business intelligence and consumer engagement.”
Click here for Part II of Global Drinks Intel’s consideration of the closures industry.
This article was initially published in September’s issue of Global Drinks Intel magazine. For details on how to subscribe, click here.
