Kwik Lok introduces the first sustainable closure in Japan

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Kwik Lok introduces the first sustainable closure in Japan

14 Oct 2021

Jordan Winter

Jordan Winter is a journalist who wants to learn more and teach others about the world through storytelling. Dedicated to positive social change, her reporting is informed by years of experience writing, designing, and producing multimedia content for mission-driven publications and nonprofits.

As the creative director for Commercial Baking, Jordan is bringing life to the stories of diversity and sustainability in the commercial baking industry.

TOKYO — Kwik Lok Corporation, a global leader in package closures, has announced the availability of Eco-Lok, the first sustainable closure, in Japan. Made of more than 10% biomass materials and requiring fewer greenhouse gasses to manufacture, Eco-Lok is more sustainable but retains the same reliable features as the widely used Kwik Lok closure.

Eco-Lok’s biomass material, NuPlastiQ, is a proprietary technology from BioLogiQ that converts plant-based carbohydrates such as corn and potatoes to a plant-based resin. Using a 100% natural, renewably sourced plant-based resin that requires less fuel to manufacture, NuPlastiQ is reducing greenhouse gas emissions and overall petroleum-based material use.

Eco-Lok has been Biomass Mark-certified by the Japan Organics Recycling Association (JORA), an entity that provides information, assessment and monitoring of the standard of biomass materials in products such as packaging.

Eco-Lok maintains the reliable performance specifications as Kwik Lok closures: printable, reusable and metal detector compatible. They are also completely interchangeable with Kwik Lok’s previous closures and compatible with existing Kwik Lok machinery.

“As a company, we take the responsibility of our impact on the environment seriously, and Eco-Lok is a testament to our commitment to reduce plastics and lessen carbon emissions worldwide,” said Don Carrell, CEO of Kwik Lok. “We will continue to innovate and look forward to working with our Japanese customers to bring more sustainable solutions to Japan.”

“As a company, we take the responsibility of our impact on the environment seriously, and Eco-Lok is a testament to our commitment to reduce plastics and lessen carbon emissions worldwide,” said Don Carrell, CEO of Kwik Lok.

Kwik Lok has already launched Eco-Lok in the US, and since its launch in 2019, Eco-Lok has contributed to the reduction of CO2 emissions by an equivalent of 123,993 greenhouse gasses driven in miles (199,547 km) by the average car or 54,976 lbs. (24,936 kg) of coal burned. Kwik Lok is striving for a 20% carbon footprint reduction 20by 2025 and to achieve 50% of its global sales from sustainable products by the same year.

The company has been working steadily toward a sustainable future by pioneering environmentally friendly closure solutions, as well as committing to future sustainable targets and aligning its key strategies to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Kwik Lok is a member of the US Plastics Pact and has also recently joined the ANZPAC Plastics Pact. Learn more about the Kwik Lok and US Plastics Pact partnership in this Commercial Baking TechTalk episode.

“We are very excited to bring this product to the Japanese market at a time when we are hearing more demand for sustainability from our customers,” said Motohiro Kawai, president of Kwik Lok Japan. “We are indebted to the support Kwik Lok has received over the years in Japan and have strived to maintain the same quality and features in Eco-Lok while minimizing our environmental impact.”

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