Increasing the number of caps recycled for a better tomorrow!

Single use plastic items, along with fishing gear, represent 70% of all marine litter in the EU.

To tackle this issue, the EU’s Single use Plastic Directive (SUP) was initiated, banning all beverage containers up to 3 litres in size unless its cap is attached to the main part of the container i.e. tethered.

Working towards a deadline of July 2024, Tirlán kicked off a cross-functional project in February 2022 to identify and assess tethered cap solutions for our products.

The Project team, which consisted of members from ESG, Procurement, Operations & Supply Chain, Commercial, Marketing, Quality & Compliance ‘Collaborated for Success’ to select optimal cap options for product packaging impacted, which includes our Jugs, Elopak and Tetra Pak cartons.

The first product line to transition to tethered cap was the Tetra top carton which contains Avonmore Protein Milk, Mooju and Avonmore Cream. The next transition will see our Elopak 500ml and 1L and Tetra Pak 1.75L cartons, followed by Jugs in 2024.

Above: Pictured displaying the new caps on Avonmore Protein Milk packaging are from L/R Frank McDonnell (Production Manager), Oliver Hill (TT3 Operator), Joanne Dooley (Packaging Manager) and Peter McGuinness (Quality Operations Manager)

Speaking to Overherd about the EU directive, Tirlán Packaging Manager Joanne Dooley told us that “Tirlán is working hard preparing for this change. The introduction of tethered caps will reduce  environmental impact by ensuring caps can be recycled with jugs and cartons and that caps are not lost during the recycling process. This will reduce plastic waste and improve the amount of plastic recycled, contributing to the circular economy.

“Although the caps take a little getting used to, we’ve been keen to get the word out about how this initiative is helping us live up to our Living Proof promise. Check out the social media posts and video below which have been targeted at consumers.

“Avonmore Fresh, Light and Double Cream packs now feature a new tethered cap. This packaging change is part of an initiative to tackle single-use plastic items associated with pollution ahead of a new EU Directive which comes into play mid-2024. Keeping caps attached to bottles means they are more likely to be recycled together and that loose caps no longer end up in the environment.”