Three packaging designs to learn from: closure, pod and mycelium

Three designs reported in the trade press in the past fortnight (as of 10 November 2026) change a pack in ways other teams can copy: a one-piece closure, a bottle replaced by an edible membrane, and a research push to replace expanded polystyrene (EPS). They sit at different stages. One is on sale to brand owners, one was a two-day consumer test, and one is a funded research project.

A caution on sourcing: the main sources for the first two are the sellers of the thing described (Amcor, innocent and Notpla), and the third rests on university and partner statements. Where a claim comes from a company, the text says so.

Example 1: a one-piece flip-top closure from Amcor

What changed. Amcor’s press release of 5 November 2026 introduces the Moderna Flip Top tamper-evident closure for vinegar, sauces and dressings. Sustainable Business Magazine describes it as a recycle-ready mono-material, one-piece construction with a visible tamper seal and one-handed operation. It is designed for a 29/21 neck finish, with 2 mm, 6 mm and multi-orifice options.

The tamper-evident feature sits inside the lid, and the tab is captured within the closure body after opening. Packaging South Asia adds that the closure snaps onto PET bottles and comes in a range of standard colours.

Why it works. A tamper band or loose tab is a second small component that sorting lines tend to lose. Building the seal into one moulded part removes the assembly step, and keeping the tab attached means it can’t drift into the waste stream or the environment. Converter Magazine reports Amcor’s position that the lightweight design reduces material usage and so helps companies meet plastic packaging regulations.

Trade-offs. None of the coverage I found gives a weight in grams or a percentage saving, so the lightweighting claim cannot be checked yet. Amcor says the closure is recyclable only where appropriate collection facilities exist, and the sources I read don’t name the resin or say how the bore seal is made. A closure paired with a PET bottle also has to work in that bottle’s recycling stream, which a closure-only assessment won’t show.

Lesson. Look at the small parts. If a closure has a captured tab, a single resin and a seal built into the body, the pack has fewer components to explain in a recyclability assessment. Ask the supplier for the resin, colourant and seal details in writing, and for the weight against your current closure.

Example 2: innocent’s seaweed pod instead of a PET bottle

What changed. innocent trialled its Fiery Ginger shot in Notpla’s Ooho pod. The Packaging Portal reports the aim was to see whether Ooho could stand in for labelled PET bottles, with 12 ml of shot in a thin seaweed-based membrane. Sustainability Middle East and Africa says the two-day trial began on 27 October in Nobottle, Northamptonshire, and later moved to Coventry University.

Why it works. The consumer swallows the pod, so there is nothing to bin. The Grocer reports that an uneaten membrane is designed to biodegrade naturally. The sources I read don’t give a pod weight, so the saving here is the removal of the whole bottle, label and closure.

Notpla has used Ooho for water, sports drinks, sauces and condiments, concentrating on applications where packaging is needed for a brief period. A 12 ml shot, consumed in seconds, fits that profile.

Trade-offs. This is a consumer test and no product is on sale. The Grocer reports no plans to make the products available for retail sale at present, and Notpla says the format currently suits events and demonstrations where pods are produced fresh and consumed within days. That rules out a normal supply chain with warehouse and shelf time.

innocent says 78% of people who tried the pods would buy them if available today. The sources give no sample size, so treat it as a sign of curiosity and not a forecast of demand.

Lesson. Start from the occasion, not the material. For a single serve that is drunk on the spot, the strongest design question is whether the pack has to exist after the first use. A small pilot can answer that cheaply before anyone engineers a distribution format.

Example 3: mycelium cushioning aimed at EPS

What changed. The University of Nottingham leads a project called My-Pack with Swansea University, the University of Bath and the manufacturer Magical Mushroom Company (MMC). Packaging Gateway reports £1.4m for a two-year project on mycelium composites as non-petrochemical alternatives to EPS in protective and transit packaging. Packaging Europe states the same sum as around €1.6 million.

The University of Bath announcement says the work builds on MMC’s existing commercial manufacture of Mushroom® Packaging at its Beeston facility in Nottinghamshire. This is therefore a second-generation material and not a first attempt.

Why it works. Packaging Europe notes that EPS gives lightweight cushioning and impact protection, but its persistence, petrochemical feedstock and limited recyclability are the reasons to look elsewhere. Packaging Gateway says the consortium will optimise fungal strains, substrates and curing to improve strength-to-weight ratios. Bath’s role is to optimise strength, water resistance and long-term durability.

Trade-offs. Nothing here is proven at scale yet; the project’s own aim is a material that is lightweight, durable, water-resistant and consistent under industrial manufacturing conditions. Sustainability Middle East and Africa points out that consistency across batches matters because dimensional tolerances and impact performance decide whether protective formats are adopted at scale. The same outlet says logistics operators will also look at cost.

Water resistance is the weak point to watch. The Bath team is working on surface treatments, and the partners describe the coatings as environmentally compatible. How those coatings affect disposal or composting isn’t reported in the sources.

Lesson. When replacing EPS, write the performance brief first. Packaging Gateway says the planned tests will document how internal cellular architectures handle shock absorption, cyclic mechanical loading and moisture exposure, which is a sensible template for your own drop, vibration and humidity tests. The project also plans commercial trials under operational conditions at MMC’s site in Beeston, so results should come from a real production line.

Our calculation: £1.4 million ÷ 2 years = £0.7 million of funding per year, shared across three universities and one manufacturer (the split between them is not reported).

Side by side

Example	What changed	Evidence reported	Status (10 Nov 2026)	Open question
Amcor Moderna Flip Top TE closure	One-piece mono-material closure with captured tamper tab, for sauces, dressings and vinegar	Amcor describes it as lightweight and recycle-ready; no gram weight in the coverage I found	Launched 5 Nov 2026 (company release)	Weight saving, resin and fit with the bottle’s recycling stream
innocent and Notpla Ooho pod	12 ml ginger shot in an edible seaweed-based membrane in place of a PET bottle	78% of tasters would buy (innocent); sample size not reported	Two-day pilot from 27 Oct 2026; no retail sale planned	Shelf life and distribution outside events
My-Pack mycelium composite	Fungal composite developed as an alternative to EPS transit and protective packaging	£1.4 million, two-year research funding; MMC already makes Mushroom® Packaging	Research project, announced early Nov 2026	Strength, water resistance, batch consistency and cost

What the three have in common

Each removes or simplifies something: a second component, a whole bottle, a petrochemical foam. None of the three claims a full life-cycle result in the coverage I read, so any carbon or waste numbers you quote internally need your own data.

The closure speaks most directly to the EU’s rules. Under the PPWR (Regulation (EU) 2025/40), recyclability grades A, B or C are required from 1 January 2030, subject to the Commission’s late secondary acts, and recycled-content minimums follow for plastic packaging. Packaging Gateway expects designers to move towards simpler formats, including mono-material solutions that are easier to collect, sort and process. That is a trade-press view, and the legal text is what binds you.

A look at one design that I left out: Packaging Europe’s report on PG Tips covers a new graphic design and a reformulated blend, and says nothing about material, weight or recyclability, so it doesn’t count as a sustainability example here.

What to do now

Request the resin, colourant, seal and weight data for any closure you are considering, and compare it with your current closure in grams.
Check recyclability for the closure and bottle together, using the assessment tools your recyclers and regulators accept in your market.
For single-serve or event formats, run a short consumer pilot before investing in distribution, and record sample size and method.
If you use EPS in transit packaging, set shock, vibration and humidity targets now, then test any fibre or mycelium candidate against them in your own supply chain.
Read the official PPWR text, or take legal advice, before relying on any supplier’s “recycle-ready” or “compliant” claim for 2030 and later dates.

Sources

Header image: official press image from amcor.com.