Could Aluminium Take the Crown as the Future of Packaging?

Imagine rows of sleek aluminium cans—but not a single soft drink in sight. Instead, they’re filled with shampoo, hand soap, ketchup, and even household cleaners.

Welcome to Meadow’s innovation hub in London, where a bold new vision is taking shape. This start-up is betting on aluminium not just as a drinks container, but as a packaging solution for everyday products. Their ambition? To unseat plastic as the king of consumer packaging.

At the heart of Meadow’s concept is a redesigned aluminium can, purpose-built to slot into a reusable outer case. Depending on the product, users can attach a spray nozzle, pump, flip-top cap, or other dispensers. When the can is empty, it’s swapped out and sent for recycling—no rinsing, no fuss.

“We didn’t need to invent a new material,” says co-founder and CEO Victor Ljungberg, speaking from Meadow’s Stockholm base. “The aluminium can already exists. It just needed a fresh application.”

And he may have a point. Aluminium boasts a recycling rate of 81% in the UK, according to the National Packaging Waste Database—significantly higher than plastic’s 52%. It’s also endlessly recyclable without losing quality, unlike plastic, which degrades with each reuse. Add to that its light weight, and aluminium becomes an attractive alternative to glass, especially for transport-heavy supply chains.

Meadow’s vision has caught the eye of aluminium giant Ball, which already supplies recyclable cans for toiletries. The company has invested in the start-up and is now offering the new system to global personal care brands.

Aluminium in Unexpected Places

We’ve already seen aluminium edge into surprising sectors. In early 2025, organic wine brand Vinca launched full-size aluminium wine bottles in Tesco stores. Aldi followed with its own-label aluminium-bottled wine, supplied by Broadland Drinks.

Mark Lansley, CEO of Broadland Drinks, says it’s not just about novelty—it’s about carbon savings. “An aluminium bottle is about a third lighter than glass,” he notes. “Each switch saves roughly 900 grams of CO2.”

But there’s a catch. “It’s four times more expensive,” Lansley admits. Broadland and Aldi absorbed the cost to test the waters, but if aluminium is to go mainstream, production costs will need to fall.

The Push and Pull of Progress

The EU’s upcoming packaging laws may accelerate that shift. From 2030, all packaging in the bloc must be at least 70% recyclable. By 2038, that figure rises to 80%. Aluminium easily meets the criteria—at least, when used without complex coatings or plastic add-ons.

Yet producing aluminium is no small feat. Creating new aluminium from raw materials is nearly twice as energy-intensive as producing glass. For packaging to be truly sustainable, the aluminium must come from recycled sources.

Then there’s tradition. “You can’t uncork a can,” Lansley notes. “A glass wine bottle has emotional value—ritual, celebration, sophistication. Aluminium doesn’t yet evoke that.”

Design Dilemmas

Consumer habits are shaped not only by emotion but by design. Jamie Stone, packaging expert at PA Consulting, points out that brand recognition often hinges on a product’s silhouette. Think of Heinz ketchup, Flash cleaner, or Kikkoman soy sauce—the shape is the brand.

“Aluminium doesn’t lend itself to sculpted forms,” says Stone. “And it’s rigid, which removes the squeezability that many consumers rely on—whether it’s getting the last drop of shampoo or gauging the consistency of a lotion.”

There’s also the visual factor. Aluminium is opaque, hiding the product inside. For shoppers used to seeing the vibrant colour of a smoothie or the texture of a skincare cream, that’s a hard adjustment.

The Infrastructure Hurdle

Manufacturers, too, have reasons to hesitate. Many have spent decades refining plastic packaging lines. Switching to aluminium would require a major overhaul, not to mention investment in new machinery and processes. Plus, food-grade aluminium often needs internal coatings, which must also comply with recyclability standards.

Mark Armstrong, design director at creative agency Marks, says this complexity is a deal-breaker for many brands. “Aluminium is the most recyclable material we have,” he says. “But when the dispenser or lid is made of plastic, it complicates the recycling process—unless consumers are willing to separate components. Most aren’t.”

The Case for Plastic Isn’t Closed

Despite aluminium’s eco-credentials, the plastic industry isn’t standing still. Innovations are yielding plastics that are biodegradable, or even infinitely recyclable. And for certain products, plastic’s durability and flexibility remain unmatched.

“Plastic still makes sense in many applications,” says Jayne Paramor, sustainability lead at consultancy Anthesis. “It’s chemically inert, it’s strong, and you can do almost anything with its design. That kind of adaptability is hard to beat.”

So, Is Aluminium the Answer?

Aluminium has a compelling case—it’s lightweight, durable, and truly circular when recycled properly. But it’s not a silver bullet. The road to packaging sustainability may lie not in a single champion, but in a mix of smarter materials, better infrastructure, and changed consumer habits.

What Meadow and its backers are proving is that even the most familiar materials—like the humble drink can—can be reimagined. Whether aluminium becomes the packaging world’s new gold standard will depend on costs, culture, and commitment across industries.

Until then, the race for sustainable packaging is wide open.