Ekam Global, a packaging sourcing and supply company, has teamed up with the sustainability start-up Blue Ocean Closures to launch an innovative fibre screw cap that aims to reduce plastic usage in packaging. This marks the first commercial use of Blue Ocean Closures’ cellulose fibre cap, a new alternative to traditional plastic screw caps.
Blue Ocean Closures are available across Australia through exclusive distributor Ekam Global, a packaging company specialising in providing end-to-end solutions for the wine, beverage, oil, and food packaging industries.
Ekam Global says it is making these innovations accessible to local brands looking to enhance their sustainability efforts. Established in 2017, the company sources packaging products, including closures, capsules, twist-offs, glass bottles, and jars, from manufacturing partners worldwide. The company also offers a broad range of fully automatic high-speed bottling line solutions.
Blue Ocean Closures' materials are based on cellulose fibres from sustainably managed forests, in short the same kind of fibres that you find in paper. The company says it uses the same type of food-safe strength and hydrophobicity additives that are found in other paper packaging and hygiene products. It claims the fibre content is higher than in most types of carton packaging since it does not use fillers. Cellulose fibres are strong, biobased and biodegradable and do not cause any microplastics when breaking down in nature, according to Blue Ocean Closures, which says the new closure offers "a significant reduction in carbon footprint while also increasing shelf visibility, providing a clear sustainability message to consumers".
Closures are now available in 38mm and 45mm (45mm available in two weeks), with two colour options – brown and white – each maintaining the same sustainability values but using different raw materials.
Lars Sandberg, CEO of Blue Ocean Closures, said the company had taken the concept from idea to market introduction in just over two years. “A great achievement that would not have been possible without our strong team and valuable partnerships,” he said.
The Absolut Group and Coca-Cola are working with Blue Ocean Closures to commercialise fibre-based packaging solutions. The first batch of products will be available in June, with a broader rollout planned for autumn.
Blue Ocean Closures explains that fibre-based closures are recyclable as paper in most countries, which significantly increases recycling efficiency. According to the OECD, only nine per cent of plastic waste is recycled, with polypropylene (PP) particularly problematic due to its low recycling rate of just three per cent. In contrast, fibre-based materials, including those used in paper recycling streams, have higher recycling rates, with around 80 per cent of fibres being reused in new packaging materials.
