The humble aluminum can gets a leak-proof redesign

Every drink has its trade-offs: Plastic bottles are lightweight and leak-proof, but they come at a cost to the environment. Cans are convenient and recyclable, but are prone to spilling. A new can design marries the best of both.

ReLid USA designed a fully recyclable aluminum can that’s resealable, thanks to a patented tab that opens and closes using a built-in sliding mechanism. You lift the tab end and slide it open to drink; when you want to reseal it, you slide the tab back to its original position. According to ReLid, the tabs work for at least 14 reseals.

The design and development of the cans began in 2020 by Re-Lid Engineering AG, a Liechtenstein-based packaging design firm. ReLid USA, based in St. Charles, Illinois, is the exclusive North American licensee of the technology.

The challenge was to design a scalable product that is recyclable, intuitive, and designed for large-scale manufacturability, says ReLid USA President and CEO Bill Brandell. And it wasn’t easy to do.

“The product had to drop in to the current beverage-filling infrastructure without impacting the existing can-filling process,” Brandell tells Fast Company.

The top is engineered to maintain the integrity of its seal through changes in temperature or pressure from carbonation. It’s a clever solution to a long-running problem that ReLid USA says works for water, energy and sports drinks, ready-to-drink coffee, wine, and spirits.

Resealable cans are functional, but it’s also an aesthetic differentiator, giving brands that use them a unique, memorable package. The company is pushing its tech for beverage manufacturers looking to justify premium pricing or stand apart from competitors.

L.A. Libations, a California consumer packaged goods incubator, will be the first to sell ReLid USA’s tops on canned water sold exclusively at the Southern California grocer Gelson’s.

For now, there’s a production line in Germany that can produce 1 million cans per month that Brandell says will be introduced in small markets. The company plans to open a production facility of its own in the Central U.S. in the fourth quarter of this year.

Other manufacturers have designed resealable can tops, but none have scaled widely. The Coca-Cola Co.’s Monster Energy brand has been a particular innovator in the space, selling drinks in cans that come with bottle tops and releasing a plastic resealable top mechanism on cans in 2009.

ReLid USA’s tab doesn’t use any plastic, though—it’s entirely aluminum. That gives these resealable cans a competitive advantage for beverage manufacturers looking for ways to cut down on plastic waste.

Finally, there’s a fully recyclable can with all the functional benefits of a bottle.

View the full article