Milliken’s ClearTint® chosen by Bormioli Rocco for new transparent PP coloured closures

Milliken’s ClearTint® polymeric colourants for polypropylene (PP), are bringing a differentiating, competitive advantage to packaging in the beverage industry. ClearTint technology is showing how beverage caps, traditionally considered a commodity element, can become an added-value part of bottle aesthetics by replicating either beverage colour or brand colour in transparent PP as an enhancement of consumer appeal and brand image.

Capitalising on this aesthetic advantage, Bormioli Rocco has created a range of clear and translucent screw closures for mineral water, soft drinks and other bottled beverages. Their design, which includes the use of ClearTint colourants brings an obvious, immediate, yet simple product innovation to this brand and style-conscious market.

In the past these closures were aluminium or used PP with solid pigments, resulting in caps that were completely opaque. Now, the ClearTint polymeric colourants from Milliken Chemical gives designers a wide range of opportunities to enhance the transparency of PP with the clearest and the brightest colours availiable.

Not only do the ClearTint coloured caps provide new design opportunities, but they are highly functional as well. Roberto Valenti, R&D Manager, Bormioli Rocco, explained: “Our caps offer many advantages compared to the aluminium solutions currently available in the marketplace. First, there is no need for lubricants or other additives in the material used for the washer. Secondly, they offer a better barrier than aluminium caps against external volatiles and odours. This helps to preserve the original taste even when the bottles have been stored in a poor environment. This can happen when bottles end up in containers previously used for odorous products such as vegetables, detergents or cheeses.”

In addition, PP provides important mechanical and safety advantages by protecting the mouth of the bottle. “Polypropylene absorbs every accidental bump on the bottle cap before the product arrives at the point of sale, protecting the glass and preserving a high quality appearance. Customers who use aluminium caps and returnable bottles frequently have many breakages,” said Valenti.

Moreover, customers find it easier to open a PP closure than an aluminium one. Bormioli Rocco has improved the ergonomics still further by moulding ridges into the sides of the cap. These are specifically designed to enhance grip and improve the customer experience by minimising the possibility of hand-slip while opening the bottle.

The company produces the ClearTint coloured caps at its plant in Rivazzano in Italy’s Pavia province, using compression moulding. Valenti emphasised that this repeatable, efficient process is low maintenance and leads to consistent products with virtually no variation in product dimension. “Current users of aluminium caps will see this aspect alone as a significant advantage offered by PP,” Valenti concluded.

Besides exceptional aesthetic quality, Milliken’s ClearTint colourants are migration-resistant, non-toxic, non-abrasive and heat-resistant.

Milliken can prepare a huge palette of clear colors, many of which are FDA compliant for food contact applications and allow clear PP to compete with more expensive thermoplastic materials where aesthetic quality is key. ClearTint coloured products can be reground and recycled.

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