We are thrilled to share the news that the EEASY Lid made its European debut last month in select EDEKA Kempken stores in Krefeld, Germany. A family-owned grocer known for innovation, EDEKA Kempken partnered with CCT to introduce this one-of-a-kind jar lid technology to European customers for the first time.

Bringing this proprietary jar lid packaging innovation to EDEKA Kempken store shelves is great news for customers, meeting a long-awaited need for more accessible, easy open jars.  

The EEASY Lid allows consumers to vent a vacuum-sealed jar by simply pressing a button on the lid, reducing the amount of torque needed to twist off the lid by up to 50%. The EEASY Lid is also the world’s first aluminum lug jar lid – a more sustainable and durable alternative to traditional steel lids.  

The EEASY Lid lug is currently available on EDEKA Kempken’s new tomato-basil flavor in-house private label pasta sauce.  

Commenting on the news, Heiner Kempken, CEO of EDEKA Supermarkets in Krefeld said: “I was quickly convinced that CCT’s EEASY Lid is a great innovation and a real help for many people opening jar lids. That’s why we’re presenting this new lid in our stores. We stand for quality and innovation for our customers.” 

This news follows the March announcement of Guglielmo’s Sauce becoming the first food brand to adopt the EEASY Lid in the United States. Guglielmo’s Sauce is using the EEASY Lid lug on its line of pasta sauces sold in over 250 grocers across New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. 

Since introducing the EEASY Lid in late 2019, the CCT team has been on a mission to accelerate adoption of the EEASY lid to change the way jar lids are opened for the better, making a positive and lasting impact on the packaging experience for consumers. 

Watch this space for more news on the expanding presence of the EEASY Lid in both the European and American markets. 

The CCT team recently returned to the office after a successful two days at the Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA) trade show in Amsterdam. Held at the RAI Exhibition Center in Amsterdam from May 23-24, the event is the world’s largest private label tradeshow. 

This year’s PLMA Amsterdam show featured 2,600 exhibiting companies from 70 countries. At the show, exhibitors had the opportunity to connect with more than 15,000 attendees including buyers from supermarkets, hypermarkets, discounters, manufacturers, and sales agents.  

Throughout the two-day event, show attendees sourced new products, made new contacts, and discovered the latest industry innovations to help their private label programs succeed and grow. 

New products and innovations are especially important for continuing to fuel an already booming private label market. In the U.S., private label has shown tremendous growth, reaching nearly $230 billion in sales in 2022, an increase of $23 billion over the prior year. 

CCT’s EEASY Lid was one of the packaging innovations on display at PLMA Amsterdam. At the event, our team stayed busy showcasing the EEASY Lid, exploring business opportunities and partnerships and making new business contacts with retail buyers from around the world. 

Here are some photos capturing the team’s two days of valuable networking, idea sharing and strengthening business relationships at PLMA Amsterdam.

 The European Union (EU) recently released a proposal for new packaging regulations aimed at making sustainable packaging the norm to help achieve environmental and sustainability goals. Policymakers in the EU believe the proposal to revise the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) will help promote a more circular economy and reduce the environmental impact of packaging. 

According to EU data, on average, each European generates almost 180 kg (approximately 396 pounds) of packaging waste per year. Without action, the EU would see a further 19% increase in packaging waste by 2030. 

To stem the tide of packaging waste, the new PPWR proposal will ensure reusable packaging options, get rid of unnecessary packaging, limit overpackaging, and provide clear labels to support correct recycling. Specific targets outlined in the proposal include: 

• Reducing packaging waste by 15% by 2040 per Member State per capita through reuse and recycling 
• Making packaging fully recyclable by 2030 
• Fostering reuse or refill of packaging 
• Setting mandatory rates of recycled content in new plastic packaging

The proposal will also clear up confusion on which packaging belongs in which recycling bin. According to the European Commission, every piece of packaging will carry a label showing what the packaging is made of and in which waste stream it should go. Waste collection containers will carry the same labels and the same symbols will be used everywhere in the EU. 

The Commission notes that “by 2030, the proposed measures would bring greenhouse gas emissions from packaging down to 43 million tons compared to 66 million if the legislation is not changed – the reduction is about as much as the annual emissions of Croatia.” 

EU rules on packaging cover all types of packaging and packaging waste placed on the European market. When enacted, the new rules will require brands selling products in this market to comply with essential requirements related to manufacturing, composition, and reusable or recoverable nature.  

Source: EY

According to global consulting firm EY, “a sound circular packaging strategy and its implementation is a must for all companies putting packaging on the European market, not only from a branding and market perspective, but soon for compliance purposes as well, with the new upcoming legislation.” EY also highlighted that “soon, recyclability will be a minimum requirement for all packaging.”  

Regulations like the PPWR are driving innovation in the packaging industry, spurring the development of more sustainable and circular solutions. Solutions like the recyclable EEASY Lid are hitting the market just in time to help brands conserve natural resources, cut waste, reduce their carbon footprint and ensure food safety and quality.  

With PPWR regulations expected to take effect in late 2024, it’s essential for brands to start rethinking their packaging NOW to ensure compliance.   

The EEASY Lid is a compliance ensured packaging solution brands can adopt now. 

Contact us today to learn more about how the EEASY Lid can embed recyclability into your packaging to meet sustainability goals and compliance requirements. 

The EEASY Lid continues to garner media interest and attention. Last month, CCT’s software designed EEASY Lid was featured in two industry-focused media outlets, increasing awareness of our packaging innovation among key audiences including brand owners and co-packers.   

Dieline, a leading media outlet for consumer packaging and consumer brands and one of the world’s most visited packaging design websites, featured the EEASY Lid in an article headlined “EEASY Lids Are Designed to Make Opening Jars Easier For Everyone.”  

The article highlighted how the vacuum seal on standard jar lids makes jars hard to open for people with decreased grip strength due to health, age or disability, leaving them at the mercy of using special devices or jar opening hacks to loosen lids. The piece cited data from Mel magazine which noted that “the force required to open a jar of Vlasik pickles is slightly more than it takes to bust two wooden boards.” 

The benefits of the EEASY Lid including being up to 50% easier to open and made of recyclable aluminum were pointed out in this piece. The story also mentioned the survey by North Cliff Consultants which found that 87% of participants would choose a product topped with the EEASY Lid over conventional lids. 

This write-up included a quote by Paul Guglielmo, CEO of Guglielmo’s Sauce and co-packer Craft Cannery, which said in part, “With the EEASY Lid, our sauce becomes inclusive to all customers. There’s nothing else like it on the market.”

Awareness of the EEASY Lid got another boost when CCT managing partner James Bach and CCT president Brandon Bach were interviewed on the Pauly Guglielmo Show Podcast. Host Paul Guglielmo kicked off the podcast by saying the EEASY Lid is gaining a lot of traction and recounting how people are thanking him left and right for putting the EEASY Lid on his signature line of pasta sauces.

James then talked about the 8-year development of the EEASY Lid and all the specifications and technology that went into creating a high performing, easy-open jar lid. 

Brandon added that the CCT team’s motivation to create the EEASY Lid came from trying to help people who struggle to open jar lids including the estimated 16% of the global population experiencing a significant disability and the 15% of the population who don’t have the grip strength to open stubborn jars. 

Podcast host Paul Guglielmo then talked about the high performance of the EEASY Lid, noting the lid’s stronger vacuum and saying, “you are not only doing it – you are doing it better.” 

Following up on that, James talked about the extensive in-house testing CCT does to ensure the highest-level performance of the EEASY Lid including checking plastisol more often than anyone else for the viscosity to ensure the lid seals like it is supposed to. James also noted that CCT maintains a very tight inspection schedule every step of the way as the lid is produced.  

Brandon went on to add that whenever a question or challenge has been raised, the company responds by engaging leading authorities for testing. He gave the example of the EEASY Lid testing conducted by Cornell University – the leading food processing authority in North America – which passed the lid with flying colors. He then talked about the testing of the EEASY Lid by one of the top Cincinnati-based consumer study groups which found 9 out of 10 consumers prefer the EEASY Lid over standard jar lids. 

Paul rounded out the discussion by saying CCT has really created something innovative that has a strong customer value proposition. 

Watch this space for more news and updates on the headline making EEASY Lid. 

Roughly one billion people on the planet experience some form of disability. In the United States alone, up to 26% – that’s one in four adults – have some type of disability.

Because of this, we have laws across the country focused on making life easier for those with disabilities. For example, the Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in several areas, including employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications and access to state and local government’ programs and services.

However, when it comes to trips to the grocery store, people with disabilities are often overlooked.

According to the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund, grocery stores are required to provide accessible parking spaces for people with mobility impairments. The store must provide curb ramps for wheelchairs to get up and down. There must be at least one door, preferably the main entrance, that is wide enough for people with wheelchairs or other mobility devices to get through.

Once inside the store, though, there are no requirements for any of the products carried to be accessible for people with disabilities.

More and more products these days are being designed with accessibility in mind. For example, Kellogg recently announced it would be incorporating NaviLens technology, designed to help empower blind and low vision consumers, onto the packaging of four of its cereal brands in the United States.

Source: NaviLens

Our patented EEASY Lid is another innovation that helps food brands create accessible experiences for those with disabilities – or those who simply struggle to open stubborn jars. With the simple push of a button, the EEASY Lid releases the vacuum seal on jars, making them up to 50% easier to open.

Products like these make a world of difference for consumers, but these products mean nothing if supermarkets don’t carry them.

As readers may know, the EEASY Lid recently hit shelves atop jars of Guglielmo’s Sauce in over 250 stores in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. We are currently in talks with major grocers, brands and manufacturers across the globe, looking to expand EEASY Lid availability into additional stores.

Grocers and manufacturers must step up to the plate and make carrying accessible products in stores a priority.

Want to get started? Contact us today.

In March, Guglielmo’s Sauce became the first brand to adopt the EEASY Lid. We recently sat down with Paul Guglielmo, owner of Guglielmo’s and CEO of Craft Cannery to find out why he selected the EEASY Lid, why he feels it is important for brands to offer accessible, sustainable packaging and more.

Tell us about yourself and Guglielmo’s Sauce.  

Guglielmo’s has been putting family – and now customers – first for the past 90 years.  

What started out as a family recipe during the Great Depression evolved into a thriving family business – I’m carrying on the tradition passed down by my Grandpa Pete. 

Paul Guglielmo holding Guglielmo’s Sauce topped with the EEASY Lid

Why did you decide to add the EEASY Lid to your pasta sauce jars?

I decided to partner with CCT and bring the EEASY Lid to Guglielmo’s Sauce because I have seen first-hand the struggle to open stubborn jar lids. My mother suffers from arthritis, and I saw her trying to open a jar with a wrench of all things. I have also had customers call me – my cell phone is on every jar of Guglielmo’s Sauce – telling me they had difficulty opening the jar lid on the sauce. I’ve actually driven to people’s homes before and opened the lid for them. We’ve all been there – the struggle to open jar lids is real.  

CCT’s EEASY Lid solves this problem. It was designed with people of all ages and abilities in mind. The EEASY Lid allows consumers to break open the vacuum seal on a jar by simply pressing a button on the lid, making it up to 50% easier to open. Guglielmo’s Sauce with the EEASY Lid makes the everyday task of opening our sauces easier and that is especially good news for anyone who struggles to open jars due to age or disability such as arthritis, tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, or surgery recovery. 

Why are packaging solutions like the EEASY Lid so important?  

Using the EEASY Lid on our products means customers won’t have to struggle to open a jar of sauce to make dinner for the family. Inclusivity has always been one of our core values, and now we can add an element of inclusivity to our products. The EEASY Lid is also sustainable. While other jar lids are traditionally made of steel, the EEASY Lid is made of recyclable aluminum. Consumers today prefer more accessible and sustainable products. Grocers and manufacturers should be offering products that meet those preferences. For Guglielmo’s Sauce, using the EEASY Lid on our products was a no-brainer – we are always focused on putting customers first and listening to their needs. 

Where is Guglielmo’s Sauce with the EEASY lid available for purchase?  

Guglielmo’s Sauce with the EEASY Lid is available in over 250 grocers across New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania including Wegmans, Price Chopper, Tops Friendly Markets and Stop & Shop. 

How can customers tell if the EEASY Lid is on the Guglielmo’s Sauce they purchase? 

Customers visiting any of these stores to buy Guglielmo’s Sauce will see the words EEASY Lid right on the label. 

The EEASY Lid has been on store shelves in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey for about a month – have you seen its impact on customers? 

I recently held a launch party with the CCT team and The Associated New York Food Processors organization to celebrate our partnership. At the event, we pulled two amazing women – ages 92 and 85 – up on stage to try the EEASY Lid for themselves. After they struggled to open a traditional jar lid, it was heartwarming to see them open Guglielmo’s Sauce with the EEASY Lid with ease. 

Interested in putting your customers first with inclusive, sustainable packaging? Contact us today to learn more about the EEASY Lid. 

Accessible packaging should be the norm rather than the exception. Yet grocery store shelves today are lined with products in hard to open packaging. With an estimated 1.3 billion people (16% of the global population) experiencing a significant disability, making packaging more accessible is the right thing to do. The bonus for brands making the switch to accessible packaging is an expanded market that translates to more revenue opportunities.

Forward thinking brands like Guglielmo’s Sauce are adopting packaging that is easy to open for people with disabilities, the elderly and those suffering from illness or injury. In March, Guglielmo’s Sauce became the first brand to adopt the EEASY Lid, an innovative packaging solution that takes the struggle out of opening jars for people of all abilities. 

Recognizing that their products should be more accessible, other brands are turning to packaging solutions that work for everyone. Here are some examples of how brands are rethinking packaging design to make their products more accessible and inclusive: 

• Procter & Gamble’s (P&G) Ariel ECOCLIC laundry pods packaging features a NaviLens QR code, which can be scanned with a phone to locate the product on shelf. P&G also incorporated this technology on their Lenor in-Wash Scent Booster Cardboard Pack to enhance the consumer experience for those with visual impairments.
• Guide Beauty’s portfolio of makeup products are designed with rounded handles and knobs to make them accessible to individuals with fine motor and dexterity challenges. Each of the products come with a pop-out ring to help steady shaky hands and provide an easy grip.
• Cleanlogic, a bath and body brand, switched to all-paper packaging to make it possible to print braille on their products. The brand partnered with the American Foundation for the Blind to make sure the braille they used was accurate.
• Persil capsules and Ultimate Liquids now feature a new enhanced Accessible QR (AQR) code on their packaging. Once accessed via smartphone, the code provides product, usage, safety and recycling information in a structured way that was designed with blind and partially sighted users in mind. The AQR also interacts with the device’s configured accessibility features to display information in larger text or in audio-described and voice-guided formats.

Source: Unilever

Creating accessible products that meet the needs of all consumers should be priority number one for all brands. Innovative packaging solutions designed for accessibility – like the EEASY Lid – stand ready to help brands embed accessibility in their products.  

Ready to do the right thing and make your packaging accessible, inclusive and user friendly? Contact us today to learn more about the EEASY Lid. 

Every April 22 for the last 53 years Earth Day has been celebrated in the U.S. The day promotes environmental awareness, celebrates our planet and highlights the importance of creating change now to reduce our impact on the earth. 

In honor of the day, here are four interesting facts about Earth Day: 

• Approximately 1 billion people participate in Earth Day each year. That represents about 15% of the population, making Earth Day the largest secular celebration in the world. 

• To maximize student involvement, organizers chose April 22 as the date for Earth Day because it fell between Spring Break and final exams. 

• While Earth Day was created in the U.S. in the 1970s, it did not become a global campaign until 20 years later. According to EARTHDAY.org, Earth Day went global in 1990, mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries and lifting environmental issues onto the world stage. 

• Each year’s Earth Day celebration has a theme. This year’s theme continues the 2022 “Invest in Our Planet” theme, which is focused on “engaging governments, institutions, businesses, and the more than 1 billion citizens who participate annually in Earth Day to do their part – everyone accounted for, everyone accountable.” 

Source: Earth Day

As Earth Day continues to raise awareness about the importance of environmental stewardship, it also reminds brands about the critical role they play in safeguarding the planet. That role includes lessening their environmental impact by switching to sustainable packaging solutions that reduce waste and help make sustainable choices easier for consumers.  

Eco-friendly packaging is not only good for the earth, but it can also bring significant benefits to brands. Moving to sustainable packaging: 

• Provides a competitive advantage
• Reduces transportation and shipping costs
• Minimizes environmental impact by lowering carbon emissions and saving energy
• Strengthens eco-credibility and relationships with consumers
• Future-proofs products to meet requirements of evolving government regulations
• Helps meet Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals and commitments

Earth Day and every day, companies should be doing more to transform their product portfolios with sustainable packaging to support the circular economy and create a greener future. Brands that don’t embed sustainability into packaging risk losing share of wallet from consumers who are increasingly concerned about the impact companies have on the environment. A 2022 Harris Poll commissioned by Google Cloud revealed that a majority of today’s consumers (52%) are especially interested in supporting sustainable brands. Shoppers surveyed want to see meaningful, measurable efforts from consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies to save energy and reduce waste.  

CCT’s EEASY Lid can help brands reduce their carbon footprint, take a more circular approach to packaging and meet consumer demand for sustainable packaging. Made of aluminum – one of the most recycled and recyclable materials in use today – the EEASY Lid is an innovative packaging solution that keeps valuable materials in use and out of landfills and helps decrease the resources needed to manufacture new products. 

The EEASY Lid not only minimizes packaging waste but is a durable, strong and safe packaging solution for protecting products during their lifecycle. 

Our message to brands this Earth Day: Let’s work together to protect the planet and create a greener future. Contact us today to learn more.  

Happy Earth Day! 

Today, the growth of sustainable packaging is fueled not only by consumer preferences for more environmentally friendly products but by government initiatives aimed at reducing waste and litter. As government environmental initiatives evolve, brands are turning to sustainable packaging solutions to future-proof their products.  

One example of how companies are making their packaging eco-friendlier in response to government requirements is the lightweight, tethered cap developed by the Coca-Cola Company and Berry Global Group. Initially designed for use in Europe, the tethered cap is available on Coca-Cola’s carbonated soft drinks in PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles.  

Source: Packaging Strategies

This tethered cap packaging solution complies with EU (European Union) Directive 2019/204, which requires plastic beverage bottles up to three liters in size to have closures that remain attached to the container throughout their intended use. Tethered caps will become mandatory in the EU starting in July 2024.  

The EU directive on plastic waste is part of growing efforts across the globe to address the problem of plastic pollution, which negatively impacts the natural environment, threatening oceans and wildlife.   

According to Coca-Cola , “the new design means that the cap stays connected to the bottle after opening, reducing the potential for it to be littered while still giving consumers a positive drinking experience.”  

A January news release announcing the implementation of Coca-Cola’s tethered caps noted that over 400 million of these closures have been applied to date on Coca-Cola bottling lines in Germany, Spain and the UK, with the rollout to continue across the company’s other European plants.  

Coca-Cola is just one of many companies rethinking packaging. Brands worldwide are turning to innovative sustainable packaging solutions like the EEASY Lid to cut down on waste, comply with evolving government requirements and future-proof their products.   

CCT’s recyclable aluminum lug EEASY Lid is helping companies break the take-make-waste cycle of packaging. A packaging solution for the circular economy, the software designed EEASY Lid is a key differentiator for brands, helping them meet consumer preferences for sustainable products and stand out from the competition. The EEASY Lid also helps brands deliver on a growing mandate for more accessible products.  

As government environmental requirements evolve and consumer demand for green products and packaging increases, companies must accelerate the adoption of sustainable packaging solutions.  

Brands looking to transition to safe, accessible, sustainable packaging should look no further than the EEASY Lid. 

There’s nothing like a great launch party. Especially one that celebrates a first. CCT and Craft Cannery hosted a launch party in honor of Guglielmo’s Sauce becoming the first food brand to adopt the aluminum lug EEASY Lid.  

The private event was held at Iron Smoke Distillery on March 29 in Fairport, New York. The internationally acclaimed distillery provided a great venue for celebrating the availability of Guglielmo’s Sauce topped with the EEASY Lid in 250 grocers across New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, including Wegman’s, Price Chopper, Tops Friendly Markets and Stop & Shop.  

As part of the launch festivities, the CCT team also joined Paul Guglielmo owner of Guglielmo’s and CEO of Craft Cannery as guests on his podcast, the Pauly Guglielmo Show, to talk about the partnership. 

You can see from the photos below that everyone had a great time at the party!

We look forward to other firsts and celebrations as the EEASY Lid becomes the packaging of choice for more and more brands.