Advanced fiber based closures

Purpose and goal:

The aim of the project has been to show and evaluate the potential with advanced fiber-based closures to achieve the goal "show that a 28 mm fiber-based closure can withstand an overpressure of 6 bar". The vision is to show that fiber-based closures can sustain pressures which occurs in carbonated packaging. An additional sub-goal has been a comparison report for CO2e (not a full LCA) from Karlstad University based on data from project results and a reference HDPE closure.

Expected results and effects:

Within the framework of the project, advanced fiber-based closures have been manufactured and verified in the company´s industrial machine. Results from pressure tests show that the design of the closure needs to be optimized in order to keep the shape until the overpressure target. The CO2e comparison shows that a significant amount of CO2e can be saved when switching from fossil to renewable raw material in the product.

Approach and implementation:

The project has been divided into two work packages. In work package 1 Blue Ocean Closures was responsible for design, prototype manufacturing and testing. Several short design iterations were carried out within the project.

Test results from the project have been limited to internal testing only. Work package 2 was carried out by Karlstad University and includes a simplified comparison between reference closure in HDPE and results from work package 1. Meetings have been held where BOC shared information regarding materials, manufacturing processes and transports.