United Caps' new and exclusive collaboration with start-up Mimica sees the launch of an innovative closure which, according to the duo, creates accessible, affordable freshness indicators for all types of perishable products.
Described by United Caps as a "breakthrough in freshness food labels", the closure allows users to access real-time information about the condition of the product, thereby providing the potential to reduce food waste and increase consumer food safety.
Brendon Holmes, MD of Melbourne-based Caps and Closures, which represents United Caps in Australia, says, "Together, United Caps and Caps & Closures share a commitment to introducing cutting-edge technologies to fight food waste. With the addition of Mimica Touchcap to an already award-winning portfolio, we have powerful propositions that target food waste specifically. Temperature-sensitive innovation offers accurate and real-time feedback. Caps & Closures is thrilled to introduce the Mimica Touchcap solution as part of our 'Sensory Packaging' focus."
"Throughout our history," said United Caps' CEO Benoit Henckes, "we have invested heavily in innovation and research and development, and we view this innovation from Mimica as a game changer, one that has a profound effect on how caps are used, their contribution to the reduction of waste and carbon emissions, and their ability to drive purchase."
The concept for Mimica Touchcap began as a design project for Mimica’s founder and CEO, Solveiga Pakštaitė, to make expiry dates inclusive to visually impaired people, before realising that expiry dates also drive large amounts of food waste.
She toyed with the idea of creating a label that not only provided real-time information about the condition of food, but could also be easily accessible to the visually impaired and cognitively challenged. This resulted in the creation of Mimica Touchcap, a freshness indicator that changes from smooth to bumpy if a product is no longer fresh.
With extensive testing and experimentation, Pakštaitė was able to calibrate a gel that never comes into contact with the product, yet enables a specialised label to change from smooth to bumpy, based on storage conditions and food profile. The United Caps and Mimica teams then worked in partnership to develop a fully recyclable cap that does not affect bottle recyclability, yet offers a fast, easy way for a consumer to ensure food quality is still good.
This led to the development of a sustainable closure that consists of a base cap and an over cap from United Caps, the activator and gel invented by Mimica, a bumps tray, and the top foil label that becomes bumpy as food deteriorates.
The Mimica cap arrives at the filling line in two parts: the base cap, which has been tested by key filling line manufacturers and requires only minimal changes to the filling line; and the over cap, which is applied after the filling process with a dedicated machine integrated into the production flow like other modules, such as labelling or film wrapping. The top cap, where the bumps will appear, is dormant until it is activated by the consumer, which happens automatically when the cap is twisted open for the first time.
The cap is currently undergoing a pilot project in the UK with an orange juice brand. Through this pilot and other research, it was determined that the total annual waste of juice in the UK alone amounted to 121 million kilograms, with a Mimica Touchcap waste reduction potential of 44 per cent, equating to 53 million kilograms annually of juice.
“We are looking forward to continuing to work with Mimica to develop caps and closures for other types of products,” said Henckes. “Not only is reducing food waste important for the planet, but this alone also reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
“Estimations, based on verified data, predict increasing the shelf life of perishable food by even one day could save 202.8 million tonnes of GHG from entering the atmosphere. The goals and objectives of United Caps and Mimica are perfectly aligned with respect to sustainability and food safety.”
