Meadow and Fillsy announce new factory to scale up refillable aluminum cans

Meadow, a Swedish aluminum can start-up, and Fillsy, a Polish manufacturing company, are set to open a factory in Żyrardów, Poland — the first in Europe to mass produce Meadow’s aluminum technology. 

The factory will produce Meadow’s recyclable aluminum prefill solution, the Meadow Kapsul. The packaging solution features an aluminum can that acts like a cartridge with prefilled products like soap or shampoo, which is then placed in a reusable dispenser.

Once empty, aluminum cans can be recycled. They have applications across food, personal care, and home product categories.

“Our partnership with Fillsy allows us to expand the use of the aluminium can into new categories like personal care. Through our technology, we are bringing circular, recyclable packaging to a much wider market,” Victor Ljungberg, CEO at Meadow, tells Packaging Insights. 

“By industrializing production at scale in Europe, we’re showing that sustainable packaging innovation can be both commercially viable and compliant with the EU’s new packaging regulations.”

The factory aims to increase recyclable packaging solutions in the EU, with a target of 100 million cans annually by 2027. It will also feature new machinery and a showroom, allowing prospective partners to experience the technology firsthand. 

By 2027, Fillsy will have invested €4 million (US$4.6 million), with plans to invest a further €10 million (US$11.6 million) for expanded production by 2030. 

Global partnerships 

Fillsy is the first European company to mass-produce the Meadow Kaspul, joining global partners such as Ball Corporation, Novelis, and DRT Holdings. 

Ljungberg adds: “By working with Fillsy, we’re building capacity — targeting up to 100 million units per year by 2027 — and helping brands across Europe transition to packaging solutions that are part of a circular economy.”

Aluminum can be recycled multiple times without losing quality. Using Ball’s global network of facilities and multi-market research, the partnership aims to contribute to recycling aluminum packaging materials.

Meadow’s partnership with Novelis aims to increase the amount of recycled material in its aluminum prefill packaging solution. 

Meeting PPWR requirements

According to Fillsy, the partnership aims to provide more sustainable solutions under the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which requires European companies to meet binding targets for recyclability and material reduction.

“The new facility in Żyrardów is a key part of Meadow’s European production footprint. It strengthens our partner network, ensures that our technology can scale to meet growing global demand, and gives brands a practical route to align with upcoming EU legislation,” says Ljungberg. 

The factory is in central Europe, a “strategically” important location for supply chain and distribution access, according to the company.