Transforming the drinks industry with reusable caps

Could these circular lids help to tackle the world's plastic pollution problem?

Spotted: July 2024 is the deadline for drinks companies selling in Europe to introduce tethered caps on single-use plastic containers of up to three litres in size. The purpose of the new design is to reduce the volume of waste that ends up in the world’s oceans and make it easier for consumers to recycle the entire item at once.  

Also hoping to make drink packaging more sustainable is Spanish company FIZZYCAPS, which produces fully recyclable and reusable covers for sparkling wines, beers, and sodas.

The FIZZYPOP wine bottle stopper allows drinkers to quickly and easily recap a wine bottle after opening it, instead of the liquid going to waste if it isn’t all consumed soon after opening. The design works on a range of bottle and neck sizes and emits the satisfying “pop” that people expect when opening a sparkling drink. 

The FIZZYCROWN cap works with beers and soft drinks for companies across the food service industry, including hotels, caterers, cafes, and restaurants. Distributors return the covers to FIZZYCAPS for recycling and reuse, making it possible for companies to eliminate almost all waste associated with serving these drinks.  

As well as the caps themselves, FIZZYCAPS provides manufacturers with an entire capping system designed to reduce waste and improve productivity. Called FIZZTIRAGE LITE, the system is used at the bottling stage of production of sparkling wine. The caps used are made from a mono-material, making them much easier to recycle than composite waste items, and the bottling system includes cap recovery.

FIZZYCAPS’ production process is certified by several organisations, including the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

The Springwise library showcases numerous innovations that reduce plastic waste, the number of possible solutions reflecting the size and complexity of the problem, whether that’s reusable packaging for deodorant or tennis equipment made from old plastic bottles.

Written By: Keely Khoury