The can2close ‘C2’ resealable end (pictured) won an award at the Munich Business Plan Competition on March 5, an event hosted by Evobis that recognizes novel business ideas from startups.
can2close was founded in 2012, and co-founders Andreas Kleiner (CEO), Robert Kruetten and Moritz von Grotthuss claim that the C2 end can replace the standard ‘stay-on’ tab can opening with a mechanism that they claim is easier to open and can be repeatedly sealed.
Since the 1960s, can2close said, inventors had tried to solve the “riddle of the resealable can”, but even the most promising solutions were too technically complex and non-economically viable, in terms of integrating with internationally standardized filling processes.
Riddle of the resealable can...
PR manager Gabriel Gruenthaler told BeverageDaily.com: “Solutions do exist, but they’re not really economically integratable into the established filling process. There’s also a couple of features that don’t meet consumers needs today.”
He added: “There are currently two major competitors, one of which is the Ball Resealable End. But ours uses less material, is very easy to integrate into the filling process, and is more customizable in terms of colors. I think our product offers more opportunities.
“And what’s really significant is that our drinking opening is larger than comparable solutions.”
can2close claims its patent-pending C2 closure is easy to integrate into current filling processes, keeps drinks fresher, keeps out contaminants (wasps, cigarettes, etc.) and reduces the spilling risk.
Talking to major people
The plastic mechanism can be opened with one hand and is fingernail friendly, can2close added, while the larger opening releases more aroma and flavor, an important factor for beer.
The solution also promises branding possibilities, the firm said, since the shape and color of closure components are customizable.
“We’ve been working on it for about three years, and we’ve talked to major people (advisors and partners in the beverage industry), although I can’t go into specifics,” Gruenthaler told this publication.
Asked how close it was to commercialization, he added: “We’re in the process of readying the closure for industrial production. We’re in the testing process, and we aren’t light years away, we’re getting close to market readiness.
And how would the closure affect can recycling streams? “It doesn’t affect the recycling process at all because of the small amount of plastics being used,” Gruenthaler said. “So you can recycle it like any other standard beverage can.”