Packaging innovations: Waiākea splashes into reusable glass bottles

Plus, LyondellBasell, IPG and Duni Group introduce plastic products made from reworked material compositions.

What happened

Companies constantly innovate and redesign their packaging to boost performance, enhance sustainability and improve marketability. Here’s a look at four recent packaging developments on Packaging Dive’s radar.

Waiākea Hawaiian Volcanic Beverages introduced a new packaging format — reusable glass bottles — for its new Waiākea Pa’a still and sparkling waters. This bottle adds to the company’s portfolio of aluminum and plastic packaging options that contain postconsumer recycled content.

Why it matters

The company engineered this bottle with extra-thick, durable walls so it isn't treated as a single-use container, cofounder and CEO Ryan Emmons told Packaging Dive via email. “It’s designed to be a permanent, everyday vessel at home or the office long after the original volcanic water is consumed.”

The bottle is made with 40% cullet, or recycled glass, and the company hopes to reach 100% within five years. While glass initially has a higher carbon footprint than other substrates due to its manufacturing processes and transportation weight, it’s crucial to maximize recycled content and ensure circularity, Emmons said.

”By combining a 40% recycled cullet baseline with long-term consumer reuse, we actively dilute that initial carbon footprint over time,” he said. “Down the line, our goal is to scale this into a formalized regional refill program right here in Hawai’i to further optimize that loop.”

This news brief is based on reporting published by Packaging Dive on 2026-07-17. The original report is linked below.