Those ubiquitous six-pack plastic rings for aluminum cans may become a thing of the past if Graphic Packaging International has its way. The Atlanta-based paperboard and paper-based packaging company created KeelClip, an environmentally responsible paperboard alternative that also offers functionality and branding benefits over conventional polymer multipack can carriers.
Graphic Packaging International designed KeelClip to replace plastic rings, tops, and shrink wrap packaging used for packs of beers and sodas. The paperboard fastener features a lid that covers the top of the cans. A flap attached underneath the center of the lid slips in between the rows of cans. That flap is shaped like the keel of a ship to provide stability for the pack. Thanks to the keel, the packaging’s format can accommodate a variety of can heights and diameters, as well as configurations ranging from 2x2 to the standard 2x6 to as many as 2x10.
