Tethered caps will be an integral part of everyday life in the EU from July 2024. But how are the caps permanently attached to the bottle being received by consumers? Sidel has launched a survey to find out.
On behalf of Sidel, Ales Research surveyed over 3,200 Europeans of adult age about tethered caps. In online surveys and focus groups from June to September 2020, consumers evaluated the Attractiveness, functionality and environmental impact from the tethered caps on the bottle. Sidel's aim was to measure consumer acceptance of the new tethered caps in order to proactively support its customers in the transition to tethered closures to ensure compliance with the relevant directive and to minimise the risk to the consumer. Success of the new packaging can be ensured on the market.
User-friendliness is crucial
In the survey, 87 per cent of respondents stated that plastic waste is harmful to the environment and that bottle caps contribute to this. In addition, 67 per cent of consumers were convinced that changes in behaviour in terms of waste separation and waste reduction can contribute to environmental protection. Almost half of the participants (45 per cent) were clear that tethered caps can help to reduce Minimise the risk of lost fasteners, as they are attached to the bottle. However, only a minority (26 per cent) thought that these caps really help to prevent plastic pollution.
„Consumers have a extremely practical setting to bottle caps. As it turned out, they are mainly used on Product safety and user-friendliness and therefore want to know whether or not a cap was opened before the bottle was used and how easy it is to reattach. In addition, the Tightness of the closure is crucial to prevent the drink from spilling,“ explains Simone Pisani, Director Portfolio Value Creation at Sidel.
The survey revealed that the Serviceability of the cap - i.e. how easy it is to open and how easy it is to pour or drink - is seen as the most important criterion immediately afterwards. The attractiveness of the cap, safety for children and how easily the bottle and cap can be recycled were named as the last preferences. „Of course, this perception may still change once the environmental benefits of bottle-attached closures have been recognised by consumers,“ says Simone Pisani.
Different closure types of tethered caps
The participating consumers were also asked to fill in commercially available screw caps with various Prototypes of tethered caps - The results of the survey show that there is a need to compare bottle-attached snap-on and screw caps that are to be launched on the EU market with sports caps that are already available. The survey results show that there is there is no solution that fulfils all needs.
The design of the Snap fasteners was initially seen as relatively problematic by consumers and mainly caused astonishment when first used. However, after a short familiarisation phase, respondents appreciated how easy it was to open the snap caps with one hand. Attached to the bottle Screw caps were perceived as annoying on the lips and nose when drinking. Sports fasteners were sometimes difficult to open and their design also made it difficult to pour the product into a cup or glass.
„Nevertheless, the purchase intention for screw caps, snap-on caps and sports caps attached to the bottle was higher than with existing screw caps, as they can be opened just as easily and smoothly as standard commercial solutions. Snap closures were particularly popular because they can be opened with just one hand,“ explains Simone Pisani. They were also seen as an improvement in terms of environmental protection. Ultimately, however, consumers particularly appreciated the fact that tethered caps are permanently attached to the bottle, as the caps remain cleaner and do not get lost so quickly.
SourceSidel : Sidel
