The lids and caps of single-use plastic (SUP) bottles and composite packaging with a capacity of up to three litres must be attached to the containers for the duration of their use, according to the directive.

How to changeover to tethered caps?

AROL is already working with packaging manufactures, bottling lines manufactures to minimize the impact of the changes. In most equipment a simple chuck cones replacement will be enough to run these new caps. If there is this opportunity to rethink to the packaging design, AROL is at disposal to study the best upgrade for equipment upgrades, format changeover, etc.

AROL alongside the bottlers: the Coca-Cola experience

Tethered caps — **Not only tethered caps, in the photo the solution by AROL REVERSE to unscrew pre-threaded plastic caps. (photo: AROL)**

In the last months AROL has been cooperating with Coca-Cola, together with several closures manufactures in the validation process of the new GME 30.40 CSD (carbonated soft drinks) PET finish, both at laboratory level (c/o AROL premises) and at industrial level (c/o CCEP production line in Barcelona plant Spain).

GME 30.40 (CETIE code) PET finish is the first international standard specifically developed for tethered closures to be compliant with SUP EU Directive.
The industrial trial in CCEP Barcelona plant involved the production of more 6 million sellable bottles 500 ml size closed with new 26/22 CSD tethered closures.

Bottling line plants with tethered caps by AROL

Since 2019, AROL tethered focus group is cooperating within CETIE SUP Working Group (composed by mains EU bottlers, bottling lines-packaging-closures manufactures) in the development and validation of tethered solutions. AROL knows that this change is raising many questions.

AROL is ready to study and minimize the impact of this change on the bottling line, thanks to the experience of thousands of caps sorters and capping equipment installed in Europe and all over the world.