“Back in 2007, we noticed that the Europeans were gravitating towards non-phthalate plasticizers in baby toys. We knew that our consumers would soon follow and we said to ourselves ‘OK, let’s get ahead of the curve and make some changes.’”

Those are the words of Zane Pinckney, plant manager for Eagle Packaging. The Anheuser-Busch InBev owned company based in Bridgeton, Missouri is responsible for supplying crown and closure liner materials for Anheuser-Busch beverages. Lots and lots of liner materials – enough to ensure the safety, freshness, and taste of nearly 13 billion beer bottles a year including brand titans Budweiser, Bud Light and Michelob.

For the past 50 years, standard beverage-industry practice in closure liner production has included the use of phthalates (pronounced tha-lātes), a class of plastic additives used to increase the liner’s flexibility and durability.

The Search is On
A dedicated search team of Eagle Packaging specialists and Anheuser-Busch brewers approached several suppliers to test their non-phthalate plasticizer alternatives. The process would take rigorous taste and durability tests to ensure that Anheuser-Busch’s commitment to quality and clean taste was never compromised.

“The last thing we want is for consumers to come back to us with a taste complaint,” says Pinckney. “Think of it this way: Using just any old plasticizer can result in an experience similar to drinking water from a garden hose.”

Eagle also tested how well the new liners could withstand a 16-week lifecycle. From the rigors of 140-degree pasteurization at the brewery, shipping to a distribution warehouse, and finally on to retailer shelves, the candidates were put through their paces.

The taste and durability winner was Eastman™ 168, a non-phthalate plasticizer from Eastman Chemical Company with a history of safety and utility in the manufacture of toys, food and beverage packaging, and more recently, sensitive medical equipment.

A “Drop-in Replacement” True to its Name
Eagle was impressed that Eastman™ 168 had no impact on taste as well as the ease and convenience of being a true production line drop-in.

“We literally stopped running the line with our old plasticizer one day and seamlessly switched over to Eastman™ 168 the next,” says Pinckney. “After 20 years in the industry, I can tell you that I have never seen a change that smooth – amazing!”

“The Eastman team has provided great technical expertise, are always fair and easy to work with, and they are what we want in a partnership,” continues Pinckney. “I don’t have to be worried about shutting down a brewery when I can rely on Eastman.”

Reliability Guaranteed
Eagle Packaging typically works with only a limited inventory of material at a time made in part possible by their confidence in Eastman’s reliability to consistently deliver product on time. Consider the numbers: Eagle Packaging produces seven million pounds of liner material per year. One pound of material is enough liner for 1,850 bottle caps. Just-in-time delivery to 12 brewers in North America amplifies any error that would disrupt this complex supply chain. Losing just one day’s production could mean the delay of 3.5 million bottles of beer. ”We depend on Eastman to deliver. They understand quality concerns as well as Eagle and always deliver an exceptional product in a timely and consistent manner,” says Pinckney.