Drinktec 2025 preview: Industry to present next-gen beverage packaging, closure solutions and circularity

Next week, the world’s leading trade fair for the beverage and liquid food industry, Drinktec, will open its doors to spotlight next-generation packaging and closure technologies. Highlights will include lightweight PET and glass designs, monomaterial sport caps, and advanced recycling-compatible labels and sleeves.

“Grow with the Flow” is the motto of this year’s Drinktec. Over 1,000 exhibitors and approximately 50,000 visitors are expected to attend the trade show. The event takes place between September 15–19 in Munich, Germany. 

Exhibitors will also present innovations such as residue-free adhesive systems for glass, low-temperature washable labels for PET, reusable Tritan bottles, cups with RFID tracking, and compostable coffee capsules. 

Packaging Insights sits down with Aptar Closures, Ardagh Group, Bericap, CCL Label, Gentlebrand, and Greiner Packaging to discuss the latest trends in beverage packaging design, material innovations, and recyclability.

Sports cap innovations

Aptar Closures will showcase its latest generation of sports beverage closures at Drinktec 2025.Aptar Closures’ Rocket GME 30.40 Sport Closure (Image credit: Aptar Closures).

The dispensing solutions provider will introduce three advanced solutions branded NexTE, Rocket, and Balance. These aim to meet the growing industry demand for tamper-evident functionality, intuitive use, and improved environmental sustainability.

Aptar Closures’ solutions are said to align with Europe’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation and Single-Use Plastics directive. The products are suitable for sports and energy drinks, juices, and water.

“Aptar Closures is committed to developing forward-thinking solutions that elevate user experiences while supporting our partners’ sustainability goals and regulatory requirements,” Nicola Maffi, director for operational marketing, Closures EMEA, at Aptar Closures, tells us. 

“Our expanded portfolio of sport closures combines functionality, consumer convenience, and eco-conscious design, and we’re excited to debut them at Drinktec 2025.”

Meanwhile, Bericap is demonstrating how sustainability and ease of use can be combined in closure systems. 

The plastic and aluminum closure manufacturer is presenting its comprehensive portfolio, highlighting two new products, the Monet and Biarritz sport caps. Bericap’s two-piece premium Monet cap (Image credit: Bericap).

Bericap highlights its industrialized sport caps range for on-the-go beverages, which are available for all relevant neck finishes.

“The sport caps are engineered for one-handed operation, featuring a 180-degree opening angle, and delivering a superior drinking experience with a high flow rate,” the company tells Packaging Insights.

The one-piece Biarritz cap combines modern design and intuitive handling, while the two-piece premium Monet cap features a contrasting color tamper evidence ring between the body and overcap. 

“A window on the closure also shows at a glance if the bottle has already been opened. Biarritz and Monet are suitable for dry and wet aseptic filling and are made from monomaterial HDPE to support enhanced recyclability.”

Can benefits

Ardagh Group’s Ardagh Metal Packaging (AMP) and Ardagh Glass Packaging (AGP) will showcase a range of products, formats, and technologies designed to support brand differentiation, consumer convenience, and circularity.

Ardagh Group will present its beverage cans and glass solutions (Image credit: Ardagh Group).

AMP will present its full standard range of beverage cans and ends, with a specific focus on five productions: H!ghend, Wine Cans, Embossed Cans, Nitro Cans, and digital can printing in partnership with digital printing company NOMOQ. 

Each of these products is said to offer benefits for beverage brands looking to enhance visual impact, improve functionality, or explore trends and consumer behaviors.

“With these five unique products, we’re offering our customers new ways to differentiate their brands and engage consumers,” says Gerlof Toenhake, sales director at AMP-Europe. 

“We look forward to demonstrating how our solutions combine innovation, quality, and sustainability to meet the needs of today’s dynamic beverage market.” 

The AGP-Europe team will present its latest glass container designs alongside its most recent launches. The stand will also feature a display of lightweight wine bottles in various colors and styles, combining “elegance and strength” with a reduced environmental impact.

Balancing safety and branding 

Bericap will also showcase aluminum and plastic closures for wines and spirits.

“Both the aluminum and plastic closures can be custom-designed and printed according to individual requirements, allowing for product safety and acting as a powerful branding tool at the point of sale. The Bericap aluminum closure range for spirits and wines is supplemented by aluminum closures for mineral water bottles,” says the company.

Visitors to the Bericap stand can get an overview of its lightweight range. The company additionally takes a monomaterial design approach, ensuring that products can be recycled after use without additional sorting.

Latest in label recycling 

CCL Label will present the latest labeling technologies to improve recycling efficiency and environmental sustainability features.

With EcoShear, CCL introduces an adhesive technology developed specifically for single-use glass bottles. CCL Label’s WashOff technology (Image credit: CCL Label).

Traditional labels can impair the quality of recycled glass or adhere so strongly to glass shards that they are rejected during the sorting and recycling process. CCL says that EcoShear enables nearly residue-free removal during recycling. This reduces glass waste to 1.5 kg per ton and increases the yield of high-quality recycled glass, according to the labeler.

CCL also presents EcoFloat White. The new generation of floatable polyolefin sleeves enables a switch to clear PET for improved recycling compared to white HDPE for products such as yogurt, protein drinks, probiotic beverages, or other light-sensitive contents. 

The light protection barrier is moved from the bottle to the sleeve, and carbon-free inks optimize the PET recycling process. The bottles retain their familiar white appearance while complying with Design-for-Recycling standards.

Furthermore, CCL demonstrates its WashOff technology, which is already used for the reusable glass and PET bottle markets. 

The Low Temp WashOff labels detach cleanly at washing temperatures starting from 58 degrees Celsius and shrink to support the removal process, offering enhanced efficiency on filling lines and an attractive product look. 

Smart, reusable cups 

Greiner Packaging will present its Kavodrink premium drinking bottle. The 800 mL bottle is suitable for office and sports use. It is made from pollutant-free Tritan, features a carbonation-tight 2-component cap, and is customizable and available in various colors.

Greiner Packaging’s reusable drinking cups (Image credit: Greiner Packaging).The company will also exhibit reusable drinking cups and compostable coffee capsules. Greiner Packaging’s reusable cups are said to be a sustainable alternative to single-use plastic. The cups are suitable for distribution at festivals, trade shows, and sporting events. 

“They are customizable, BPA-free, and shatterproof. The cups also feature an integrated RFID chip for simple digital tracking, providing maximum transparency in use and return processes,” says a company spokesperson.

Meanwhile, Greiner Packaging’s coffee capsules offer an “eco-friendly” alternative to conventional systems, supporting waste reduction and resource conservation.

Fusing tradition with innovation

Gentlebrand, a Sidel company, will showcase lightweight, wine-friendly PET bottles and premium packaging for glass and cans.

At the show, Gentlebrand will also preview its latest collaborations with Argea, Toshmineralsuv, Rosae, and Zelda Smartweight Water. 

The design agency tells Packaging Insights: “Highlights include Brilla Still, a premium wine bottle for Argea that blends Italian elegance with modern design; a sleek new PET format for Tashkentskaya mineral water that reflects 70 years of heritage and purity, and Rosae, a PET wine bottle, combining lightweight packaging with ‘timeless beauty.’”

“Each project showcases Gentlebrand’s ability to fuse tradition with innovation in visually striking ways. Thanks to strategic partnerships, Gentlebrand offers an integrated approach that combines design, prototyping, and production, delivering customized, functional solutions aligned with market evolution.”