Italy's Guala Closures (Spinetta Marengo; www.gualaclosures.com) says it has partnered with US-based Oceanworks (Los Angeles, California; www.oceanworks.co) to develop closures for its wine and spirits range made of plastics recycled from ocean waste. Guala said it will initially use the reclaimed polymers in the production of its T-bar models for spirits included in the recently launched “Blossom” range, and more models will be introduced soon.

“This important agreement strengthens the group's commitment toward more sustainable solutions, making our closures part of the future circular economy,” said Fulvio Bosano, the Italian firm's R&D director. “It is a significant step in Guala Closures' objective to use 35% of recycled materials in our products by 2025.”

Oceanworks says it is the largest global marketplace for sustainable materials and that it specialises in hard-to-access ocean and averted plastic. Members of the company's network are said to process hundreds of tones of recycled plastic each year.

Guala Closures produces more than 20 bn closures made of plastic and aluminium each year. It has 4,700 employees and 30 production facilities, and its latest turnover was reported at EUR 607m.