Four packaging redesigns worth studying: refills, cartons, PP cups

Four packs reported in the past few weeks (checked 1 November 2026) show different routes to less plastic or better recyclability: a reusable case with refills, a refill pump on a standard neck, a carton in place of a soft pouch, and a material swap that keeps the filling line unchanged. Most of the figures below come from the companies selling or using the packs, or from trade press relaying their material, and none has independent verification in our research.

For EU readers, the PPWR requires recyclability grades A, B or C from 1 January 2030, or a set period after the Commission’s act if that is later (Regulation (EU) 2025/40). In the US, there is still no federal packaging EPR law, and several states run their own schemes. Check the official texts, or take legal advice, before relying on any claim for compliance.

The four examples at a glance

Example	What changed	Reported result	Main trade-off
Wild (UK), WildChild	Reusable themed case plus replaceable refills for children’s bath products	Alternative to single-use bath packaging, per Wild; no weights reported	Saving depends on households refilling; no material or weight data
L’Occitane en Provence, Aptar Beauty	Customised refillable pump built on an existing platform with a 24/410 neck	Refill-ready hand care pack; no weight or recyclability figures reported	Pump composition and recyclability not stated
Plain B (Germany), Elopak D-PAK	750 ml carton refill instead of flexible plastic refill pouches	About 55% less plastic than conventional plastic refill packs, per Plain B	Thin polymer layer and plastic cap remain; relies on carton collection
Amcor PP Revolution dip cups (US)	Polypropylene cups replace PVdC-coated HIPS	70% lower carbon footprint and 63% lower non-renewable energy, per Amcor	Recyclability depends on cup size and lidding choice

Wild: a reusable case for children’s bath products

What changed. Packaging World, drawing on ThePackHub’s Innovation Zone, reports that Wild has extended its refillable packaging system into children’s bath care with WildChild, built around a reusable outer case and replaceable product refills. Beauty News Daily adds that the line covers a Hair & Body Wash and a Bubble Bath, and that each refill can be paired with one of three reusable cases: Rubber Duck, Unicorn, or a limited-edition Peppa Pig design.

Why it works. The part that stays in the home is the part a child handles, and it is shaped like a bath toy. According to Wild, the aim was an alternative to single-use bath product packaging while keeping the routine easy for children to get involved with. The brand is also not starting from zero: the range arrives six years after the UK brand launched.

Trade-offs. The leads give no case material, case weight or refill structure, so the plastic saving cannot be quantified. A themed or licensed case also gives families a reason to buy a new case rather than a refill, which would erode the benefit; that risk is our reading, not something the sources report. WildChild is currently UK-only, with no US launch date announced.

Lesson. Design the reusable part for the person who uses it every day, then track how many refills each case actually receives. Ask your supplier for case weight and the number of refills it is expected to last before you compare it with a single-use pack.

L’Occitane and Aptar Beauty: a refill pump on a standard neck

What changed. Packaging World reports that Aptar Beauty, based in Oyonnax, France, developed a customised refillable dispensing pump for L’Occitane en Provence’s redesigned hand care packaging. Aptar adapted its existing Satine cosmetic pump platform for the application, with a standard 24/410 screw-on neck finish.

Why it works. The report does not give Aptar’s reasoning. Starting from an existing pump platform and a common neck finish generally limits new tooling and keeps the pump compatible with widely available bottles, which suits a refill system where dispenser and refill are bought separately.

Trade-offs. The report gives no pump weight, no material list and no recyclability assessment, so the pack’s design-for-recycling status is unconfirmed. L’Occitane’s own body care refill page says refills reduce plastic by up to 90% compared with the original format, but that figure covers body care and is not tied to the new hand care pump.

Lesson. In a refill system the dispensing interface is a design decision of its own. Specify the neck finish, the pump’s material composition and the refill compatibility together, and ask for the recyclability evidence before the redesign is signed off.

Plain B and Elopak: a carton instead of a soft pouch

What changed. Germany’s Plain B has introduced a 750 ml hand soap refill packed in Elopak’s D-PAK carton as an alternative to conventional flexible plastic refill pouches. The refill is used alongside reusable 250 ml soap dispensers, so consumers can replenish the bottle several times from one larger pack.

Our calculation: 750 ml carton ÷ 250 ml dispenser = 3 full dispenser fills per carton, assuming each fill starts from an empty dispenser.

Why it works. Packaging World says the carton is designed to be recycled through existing beverage-carton collection systems, with fibre and polymer separated during processing, and it suits standard industrial manufacturing and filling processes. Plain B’s own page states that the carton is FSC-certified and saves roughly 55% plastic compared with conventional plastic refill packs; the footnote basis for that comparison was not visible in our research.

Trade-offs. This is a plastic-reduced pack rather than a plastic-free one. Elopak’s D-PAK page says the cartons have only a thin polymer layer that keeps them liquid tight, in addition to the plastic cap. The recyclability claim also relies on the carton reaching beverage-carton collection. Whether a carton like this earns grade A, B or C under the PPWR will have to be tested once the Commission’s acts are in place.

Lesson. A fibre-based refill can run on existing filling infrastructure, which lowers the switching cost for a small brand. State the comparator for any plastic-saving figure, because a saving against a pouch and a saving against a rigid dispenser are different numbers.

Amcor: polypropylene dip cups in place of coated polystyrene

What changed. On 28 October 2026, Amcor announced that its PP Revolution dip cups won the Recyclability category of the U.S. Plastics Pact’s Sustainable Packaging Innovation Award. The release notes that billions of dip cups are used across North America each year, yet recyclability has historically been limited by package size and material composition.

Sustainable Packaging News reports that moving from PVdC-coated HIPS to PP Revolution gives a 70% reduction in carbon footprint and a 63% reduction in non-renewable energy. Amcor calculates the carbon figure with its ASSET lifecycle assessment model, which is assured by Carbon Trust. Sizes run from 0.5 to 2.0 oz (roughly 15 to 59 ml, assuming US fluid ounces).

Why it works. The cups are engineered to run on existing filling equipment at current line speeds, with no modifications or capital investments, according to Amcor. The company also says the cups have an improved barrier compared with traditional solutions, so the switch does not cost shelf life on its face; check this against your own product trials.

Trade-offs. Recyclability varies by format. Appropriately sized formats are recyclable wherever PP cups are accepted, and only select sizes reach a Preferred rating for Size Sorting Potential under the APR Design Guide. The lidding range includes metallised and foil options as well as AmPrima recycle-ready ones, so the lid you pick changes the result.

On fees, Yahoo Finance’s report on the launch says the APR assessment may help support recyclability claims and possible EPR fee benefits. No state-specific fee outcome is reported, so treat any saving as unconfirmed.

Lesson. Changing the material while keeping the line speed and the format removes the biggest barrier to adoption. Small items such as dip cups need a sortability check by size, not just a polymer check.

What to do now

For any refill project, request case or dispenser weight, material and the expected number of refills per reusable unit from your supplier, and calculate plastic per use rather than plastic per pack.
Write down the comparator behind every plastic-saving figure you plan to publish (pouch, rigid dispenser, single-use bottle) and the lifecycle assessment scope behind any carbon figure.
Specify neck finishes, pump composition and lidding together, and ask for the recyclability evidence for the whole assembly.
For small rigid formats, test sortability by size against the APR Design Guide (US) and plan for the PPWR recyclability grades from 1 January 2030, or later if the Commission’s acts are late.
Run filling-line trials before committing to a material switch, even where the supplier says no line changes are needed.

Sources

Header image: illustration, AI-generated.