PKN presents The Packaging Innovation Edit, a curated selection of standout global packaging innovations. Produced in collaboration with ThePackHub, this series highlights innovations advancing packaging design and function.
This edition spans materials science, circularity and consumer experience, showing how innovation can occur at very different points in the packaging lifecycle. From modified clay designed to slow produce ripening and a reverse logistics system giving used packaging another life, to formats that rethink how consumers eat, interact and reuse, the five developments demonstrate the breadth of packaging innovation currently under way.
Modified clay targets produce shelf life
The University of Copenhagen in Denmark has developed a modified clay material designed to capture and retain ethylene gas within fresh produce packaging and storage environments, potentially slowing the ripening of fruit and vegetables.
The research uses montmorillonite, a naturally occurring smectite clay that in its untreated form captures relatively little ethylene. Chemical treatments alter the clay’s internal structure to increase the space available for gas adsorption. Acid activation creates additional porous surface sites, while choline functionalisation can improve retention by stabilising ethylene within the clay’s interlayer spaces.
The intended packaging application is a passive ethylene-scavenging system that removes some of the gas naturally released by fresh produce. Initial concepts include sachets or pads containing powdered clay, with potential for the technology to be adapted to liners, inserts or larger storage systems. The development remains at the research stage.
ThePackHub’s View: The combination of increased pore-based adsorption and improved interlayer retention gives the modified clay a potentially useful mechanism for passive ethylene management without relying on conventional oxidising scavengers.
PKN Comment: Extending fresh produce life can give packaging a direct role in addressing food waste, making this an interesting development beyond the material innovation itself. The next test will be translating the science into a commercially viable packaging format that delivers consistent performance through real-world supply chains.
Market: Food | Product: Fresh produce, Fruit, Vegetables | Innovation type: Barrier improvement, Bio-packaging, Biodegradable, Compostable, Material substitution, Product preservation, Product protection, Waste reduction | Substrate: Bio-materials
Reverse logistics gives cups another life
Nissin Foods do Brasil has developed a reverse logistics system for its Cup Noodles packaging that recovers post-consumer material for use in new applications. Consumers place used cups into recycling bins or selective collection schemes, after which recycling cooperatives sort the material and direct it into appropriate processing streams.
Recovered material is used to manufacture products including chipboard sheets, which can serve as separators between palletised loads during transport, as well as items such as diaries and calendars.
The company is also recovering paper scrap generated during Cup Noodles cup manufacture. Nissin reports that 40 per cent of this manufacturing scrap is now recovered, resulting in around 1700 tonnes of additional material being recycled. Together, the initiatives address material recovery at both the manufacturing and post-consumer stages of the packaging lifecycle.
ThePackHub’s View: The combination of post-consumer reverse logistics and factory scrap recovery provides two routes for retaining packaging fibres within productive material streams rather than relying solely on end-of-life disposal.
PKN Comment: This example reinforces that packaging circularity depends on more than designing a pack to be recyclable. Establishing collection, sorting and viable secondary uses for recovered material is critical to turning recyclability into actual material recovery.
Brand: Cup Noodles, Nissin Foods | Market: Food | Innovation type: Recyclable, Recycled materials, Upcycling, Waste reduction | Substrate: Paper
Push-up pack rethinks takeaway sushi
Brazilian Japanese restaurant chain Gendai has introduced a cylindrical push-up pack designed to allow sushi-style food to be eaten directly from the package without chopsticks or direct hand contact. The format combines containment, portioning, dispensing and serving in a single pack.
The contents are progressively pushed upwards as they are consumed, creating a handheld alternative to conventional sushi trays, cartons or clamshells. The format is intended to support takeaway, delivery and eating on the move while reducing contact between the consumer’s hands and the food.
Gendai, which originated in São Paulo and is now owned by Grupo Trigo, adapted a packaging concept that had attracted attention through social media in the US. Its version accommodates larger portions while retaining a relatively narrow structure designed to be comfortable to hold and operate.
ThePackHub’s View: The push-up mechanism provides a functional alternative to conventional tray-based sushi packaging by combining containment, dispensing and utensil-free consumption in a single format.
PKN Comment: Convenience is doing much of the work here. By designing the pack around the way the food is consumed, Gendai has turned packaging into part of the eating experience while potentially removing the need for separate utensils – an example of structural design solving several requirements at once.
Brand: Gendai, Grupo Trigo | Market: Food | Innovation type: Ease of use, Easy open, Material substitution, Recyclable, User convenience | Substrate: Carton board, Paper
Bottle labels start conversations
S.Pellegrino has introduced a series of sparkling water bottle labels featuring printed questions designed to prompt conversation between people sharing a meal. The approach gives the existing label an additional role beyond branding, product information and point-of-purchase communication.
Individual labels feature open-ended prompts covering subjects such as long-held ambitions and Italian habits that consumers might adopt elsewhere. Rather than directing consumers to a QR code, app or other digital platform, the interaction takes place directly through the printed pack.
The concept also shifts the engagement away from a conventional brand-to-consumer interaction: the bottle instead acts as a prompt for interaction between consumers. Using different questions across labels creates scope for rotating content and varying the experience without adding another packaging component or altering the primary bottle structure.
ThePackHub’s View: Using the existing bottle label as an interaction mechanism offers a comparatively simple way to add consumer engagement without requiring electronic components or changes to the primary packaging structure.
PKN Comment: Connected packaging often brings digital technology into the conversation, but this concept takes the opposite approach. Using nothing more complex than changing printed content, S.Pellegrino extends the label’s role into the consumption occasion without adding materials or requiring consumers to reach for a phone.
Brand: S.Pellegrino | Market: Beverage | Innovation type: Consumer communication, Consumer interaction, New format, Pack decoration, Shelf stand out, User convenience | Pack type: Bottle, Label
Reusable bottle embeds antimicrobial protection
UK cycling products company Fabric has introduced the Gripper V2, a reusable cycling bottle incorporating an antimicrobial agent directly into the bottle material to help limit unwanted tastes and odours during repeated use.
Rather than using a temporary surface treatment, Fabric says the antimicrobial protection is permanently embedded in the bottle. The soft, squeezable BPA-free body is paired with a high-flow silicone drinking valve, while a dotted embossed area around the upper exterior is designed to improve grip in wet or challenging conditions.
Branding has also been integrated into the structure. Instead of printed, painted or adhesive graphics that can deteriorate through repeated handling and washing, the Fabric logo is embossed directly into the bottle, reducing the need for additional decorative components while retaining brand identification over its service life.
ThePackHub’s View: Embedding antimicrobial functionality and branding into the bottle structure could help maintain functionality and appearance over repeated use while reducing the need for applied decorative components.
PKN Comment: If reusable packaging is to remain in circulation, durability needs to extend beyond the container itself to hygiene, usability and appearance. Integrating these attributes into the bottle rather than relying on applied treatments and decoration is a considered approach to designing for repeated use.
Brand: Fabric | Market: Beverage | Innovation type: Barrier improvement, Ease of use, Material reduction, Product preservation, Reusable packaging, User convenience | Substrate: Silicone
We're bringing The Packaging Innovation Edit to you LIVE at APPEX 2027, from 16-19 March, at the MCEC in Melbourne. ThePackHub CEO Paul Jenkins will be attending in person, with daily talks and innovation from around the globe on display.
