Amcor has announced a breakthrough in inclusive packaging with the launch of a custom-designed, lightweight closure for the premium French mineral water brand, Wattwiller.
The project, a year-long collaboration with brand owner Spadel, proves that sustainability goals and consumer accessibility can go hand-in-hand.
The standout feature of the new closure is its focus on inclusive design. Departing from standard industrial caps, the new Wattwiller closure features a distinctive flower-shaped geometry. This design isn’t merely aesthetic; it combines smooth and ribbed surfaces to provide a significantly enhanced grip.
The ergonomic shape is specifically engineered to assist consumers with limited dexterity, such as the elderly or people with disabilities. By reducing the physical effort required to break the seal, Amcor and Spadel are positioning the new cap as a premium standard in the still water segment.
In addition to its user-friendly interface, the closure delivers substantial environmental gains. Amcor shifted the bottle to a smaller 26mm neck finish, which, combined with the refined HDPE cap design, significantly reduces the overall weight of the packaging compared to the previous version.
Key sustainability highlights include:
- Material efficiency: lighter total weight reduces raw material consumption.
- Recyclability: manufactured from High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), the closure is fully recyclable alongside PET bottles.
- Tethered technology: the cap remains attached to the bottle after opening, ensuring it enters the recycling stream rather than becoming environmental litter — a key requirement of evolving EU plastics regulations.
For Wattwiller, the move is the latest step in a long-term environmental strategy. In 2020, it became the first French SME in the water market to achieve 100% carbon neutrality across its entire lifecycle.
“Compared with the previous solution, Amcor’s closure is lighter and better aligned with Spadel’s sustainability goals,” said Sarah de la Mare, productline director at Amcor. “The project leveraged our strengths in R&D and design to demonstrate that not all tethered caps are the same.”
The closures are being produced at Amcor’s specialised facility in Frankenthal, Germany. The partnership underscores a growing trend in the beverage industry: move away from “off-the-shelf” components in favour of bespoke solutions that reinforce a brand’s premium identity while meeting strict ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) targets.
“Their expertise has helped deliver an innovative closure that showcases our commitment to reducing impact on the environment and our desire to demonstrate accessible design,” said Julian Schmitt, marketing manager at Spadel.
