R&D: a conversation with Lionel Carré, Head of the screw cap department

Could you please introduce yourself and describe your role within Amcor Capsules?

My name is Lionel Carré. I have been working as the Head of the Research and Development of our Chalon-sur-Saône plant since December 2002. Our plant is specialized in the manufacturing of screw caps.

R&D is a very vast field! Our main task consists in developing new products. To do so, we not only have to analyze the different market trends, but also the needs of our clients. We then help them in implementing these innovative solutions. To offer the best service to our clients, our team not only has to be experts when it comes to closures: they also need to know everything about glass bottles, bottling lines and machinery. Besides, we need to stay updated on the new markets regulations to ensure our products’ compliance.

Finally, and especially within a group like ours, we are constantly seeking new solutions and new raw materials in order to find the most sustainable alternative and preserve our planet.

Lionel Carré

Over the course of your career, is there a project that particularly impacted you?

What immediately comes to mind is the development of our STELVIN® INSIDE liners range.

The idea consisted in developing PVDC-free (polyvinylidene chloride) permeability liners. PVDC is a material that, when incinerated, releases a toxic substance called dioxin. It was a real challenge, as we had to develop a "green" alternative to a product that had been on the market for over 30 years! After several years of hard work, we launched our STELVIN® INSIDE range. At that time, it was a very avant-garde product, but the market has evolved since then and is more receptive to these environmentally responsible alternatives.

Speaking of being environmentally responsible, have you observed any specific demand from our clients on that matter? Is sustainability one of their priorities?

First, and although many are expressing a desire to work on sustainability, the question isn’t approached the same way by everyone. For example, a small winery will not have the same needs than a large alcohol producer: it makes sense, as their environmental impact is not the same!

When it comes to large size clients, they usually have dedicated resources and sometimes, well-structured specifications. Most of them have a strong desire to lower their carbon footprint, so their requests are quite specific: reduction of their closure’s weight, reduction of the plastic material used, less solvents in our inks and varnishes... Another aspect is secondary packaging: some clients ask for pallets manufactured with FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified wood, or cardboard boxes made from recycled materials. For a smaller exploitation, the priority is the final product.

However, regardless of their size, they are all aware that the end consumer will be receptive to these initiatives, so there is a real need to find solutions. Moreover, our partners all agree on one point: the final product needs to be recyclable. Here with aluminium closures, we have a major advantage: aluminium can be recycled without losing its initial properties. Today, 80% of the extracted aluminium in the entire world is still in circulation. There is nothing simpler than recycling our STELVIN® screw caps: you simply have to screw them back on your bottles and discard them in the glass recycling bin.

Could you tell us more about your ongoing projects?

Several clients approached us to work on improving the recyclability of their products, especially on the closures used on PET bottles. Today, and especially in North America, a PET bottle capped with an aluminium screw cap can be hard to recycle. Therefore, we are working on the development of disruptive solutions to reduce the environmental impact of these products and to make them easier to recycle.

In your opinion, how is the closure market going to evolve in the next 5 to 10 years?

I think we will continue to see more and more aluminium closure in our markets. Of course, given the implementation of new laws, we will have to rework on our products to make them lighter, but in terms of recyclability there is nothing like aluminium. To me, the future looks bright for aluminium closures.