Food and Beverage

Packaging Spotlight: Caps & Closures with Silgan Closures | Startup CPG Webinar

Startup CPG
Startup CPG•Mar 25, 2026

Why It Matters

Choosing the right cap directly impacts product shelf life, brand perception, and sustainability credentials, giving startups a competitive edge and reducing launch costs.

Key Takeaways

  • •Choosing the right closure protects product freshness and stability
  • •Silgan offers up to 500,000 free caps via startup contest
  • •Plastic, steel, and aluminum closures each serve distinct market needs
  • •Composite caps use steel panels for superior oxygen barrier performance
  • •All closures are 100% recyclable, many contain up to 35% recycled content

Summary

The Startup CPG webinar featured Silgan Closures’ experts Dustin Vance and Jeremy Yaka, who walked early‑stage food‑and‑beverage brands through the critical role of caps and closures in preserving product integrity and supporting brand differentiation.

The session catalogued the full Silgan portfolio—from snap caps and snap‑screw caps for large‑volume containers, to carton fitments, flat screw caps (lined and linerless), five‑gallon caps, dairy fitments, flip‑top and composite closures, and double‑wall decanter caps. Steel lug and PT (pressed‑twist) closures were broken down by size, with typical applications such as condiments, beverages, jams, pickles, and ready‑to‑drink coffees. Aluminum shells, offered in 28‑38 mm sizes, were highlighted for their thread‑forming application and growing use in water and beer bottles. Sustainability was a recurring theme: every closure is 100 % recyclable and up to 35 % recycled material is incorporated.

A standout moment was the announcement of a contest that grants qualifying startups up to 500,000 free caps, a program that previously helped brands like Happy Moose launch successfully. Jeremy emphasized the branding advantage of composite caps, noting that the steel panel enables high‑resolution graphics, while Dustin cited the oxygen‑blocking benefit for sensitive juices. The discussion also clarified that CSD (carbonated soft‑drink) caps are not in Silgan’s current lineup but remain fully recyclable.

For emerging CPG companies, the takeaway is clear: closure selection must be integrated early in product development to ensure seal performance, regulatory compliance, cost efficiency, and visual appeal. Leveraging Silgan’s contest and extensive material options can accelerate time‑to‑market while aligning with consumer demand for recyclable packaging.

Original Description

Are you choosing the right closure for your product—or leaving performance and brand equity on the table?
In this Startup CPG webinar, Daniel Scharff sits down with packaging experts Dustin Vance and Jeremy Yocca from Silgan Closures to break down everything CPG founders need to know about caps and closures. This session covers the full landscape of closure types, materials, and sealing systems—and how to match the right closure to your product, process, and packaging.
From plastic and steel to aluminum and composite closures, we cover how each closure type works, what products it's designed for, and how to navigate the process of getting it right from day one.
If you're a CPG founder, product developer, or packaging engineer looking to make smarter decisions about your closure strategy, this is your technical playbook for getting capped and sealed the right way.
Takeaways:
The full range of closure types: plastic, steel, aluminum, and composite
How to match your closure to your filling process and container type
The difference between lined and linerless caps—and when each is the right choice
How tamper evident bands work across different closure styles
Why bringing in a closure expert early in product development saves time and money
How aluminum roll-on closures are applied and why they're different from other types
What filling processes—hot fill, aseptic, HPP, retort, and more—mean for closure selection
Real-world applications for every closure size and style
How to enter Silgan's free closure contest for up to 500,000 free caps
Key Topics:
03:33 Meet the experts: Dustin Vance and Jeremy Yocca from Silgan Closures
05:23 Silgan's free closure contest: win up to 500,000 caps
06:32 Plastic closure types: snap caps, snap screw caps, carton fitments, and more
11:21 Composite closures and branding opportunities
13:39 Steel lug closures: sizes, applications, and recyclability
16:50 PT (press twist) closures: sizes and product applications
18:35 Aluminum closures: types, sizes, and growing use cases
20:22 How to approach closure selection: chicken-and-egg with container choice
23:33 Markets served and process experience overview
25:00 Aseptic processing: definition, benefits, and sustainability advantages
26:50 ESL, UHT, cold fill, and pasteurization processes explained
28:10 Retorting, carbonation, and HPP processing
30:10 Container types: glass, PET, HDPE, and aluminum
32:19 Fill types: displacement, volumetric, piston, and pocket filling
36:15 Capper types: rotary, inline spindle, five gallon, and ROPP application
39:36 Lined vs. linerless caps: seal structures and when to use each
42:12 Lined closure materials: TPE plug liners, flat liners, and foil options
43:52 Ring lining, combi closures, and five gallon liner options
45:38 Foil and foam liner options and induction sealing
47:49 Tamper evident band styles: J, D, tail cap, ratchet, and pour ring
48:04 Steel closure seal systems and tamper evidence for lug and PT closures
49:42 Aluminum roll-on liner types: tape, in-shell molded, and pulp liners
51:12 How aluminum closures are applied and threads are formed
52:36 Tamper evidence for aluminum closures: vertical score and traditional band separation
54:01 Audience Q&A and when to bring Silgan in during product development
Connect with Guests:
Silgan Closures
Dustin Vance — Project Engineer, Silgan Closures
Jeremy Yocca — Manager of PackageCommercialization, Silgan Closures
Daniel Scharff — Founder, Startup CPG
Whether you're still in ideation or finalizing your packaging spec, Silgan Closures can guide you from inception through commercialization—and help you avoid costly mistakes before they happen.
About Startup CPG: Startup CPG is the largest community for emerging brands: 35,000+ Slack members, the #1 podcast in CPG, 100+ events per year, and award-winning resources to help brands grow. Join free today: https://startupcpg.com/sign-up
Stay connected:
#StartupCPG #CPG #PackagingDesign #CapsAndClosures #FoodPackaging #BeveragePackaging #ProductDevelopment #CPGFounders #PackagingEngineering #FoodSafety #CPGMarketing #EmergingBrands #BrandGrowth

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