Blue Ocean Closures, the Swedish start-up developing proprietary fiber-based screw caps, has obtained a second investment from co-owner Alpla Group in order to further develop and speed up the process of bringing environmentally friendly closure solutions to market.
Christian Zmölnig, Director Corporate Research, Development and Innovation at Alpla Group said, “We have seen great progress, moving fast to meet the goal of developing usable fiber solutions, and as part of ALPLA’s important strategic development in circular economy, we have now decided to invest further in Blue Ocean Closures.”
Since Blue Ocean Closures’ start, Alpla has participated closely in the development with an option to expand their engagement. Glatfelter Corporation, a global manufacturer of engineered materials, is also a founding partner of Blue Ocean Closures, the partners have come a long way since its inception.
Achievements include significant product and material, production and people development. TheAlpla management team visited Blue Ocean Closures’ production facility in Säffle in August, where the first continuous production plant for fiber-based closures is located.
Lars Sandberg said, ”We now have a product with the potential to replace plastic closures in several important global product segments and markets. The intention is to go commercial with our fiber screw caps in 2023.”
“A dedicated and growing team and the additional investment fromAlplais for sure evidence that we are on the right path and means that we can significantly strengthen our business resources,” concluded Sandberg.
”It is a very important step that a fully functioning machine is already installed, up and running together with a skilled and knowledgeable team,” affirmed Zmölnig.