2019 Packaging Innovation Awards announced

Award winners represent some of the most innovative packaging breakthroughs in technology, user experience and responsible packaging.

Dow announced the winners of the 2019 Packaging Innovation Awards, which recognize the packaging industry’s top achievements in innovative packaging design, materials, technologies and processes.

The highest honor, the Diamond Award, went to Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd., Packaging Division’s DNP Functional Film Complex PET plastic bottle, an environmentally conscious and brand-friendly bottle alternative that offers a distinct glass-like appearance due to a peelable outer layer which can act as an oxygen barrier when combined with PET. Currently, many beverage bottles are made with glass because of its barrier properties and sense of luxury, despite its heavier weight and higher risk of breakage. Glass often shatters while its collected or when its sorted, and its residue can contaminate other products that could otherwise be recycled. The PET plastic bottle retains all the qualities consumers love about glass bottles — the feel and sense of luxury — while creating a recyclable, lightweight and virtually unbreakable product.

The 2019 Packaging Innovation Awards hosted by Dow, previously known as the DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation, is now in its 31st year, and is the industry’s longest-running independently judged packaging awards program. Each year, the judging panel consists of professionals from around the world in a wide range of fields, including design, engineering, retail, converting and academia.

The judges evaluated nearly 250 entries from companies in more than 30 countries. In addition to the Diamond Award, the judges also selected eight Diamond Finalists, 10 Gold Award Winners, 12 Silver Award Winners and two Honorable Mention categories:

Diamond Winner

Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd., DNP Functional Film Complex PET Plastic Bottle: Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. designed the DNP Functional Film Complex PET Plastic Bottle to deliver the functionality of glass without the drawbacks of breakability, costly shipping, and recycling contamination. The DNP bottle is lightweight, recyclable, and virtually unbreakable, all with a glass-like luxury look. In addition to obtaining a unique appearance, this bottle can also be provided with an oxygen barrier, because the film and PET are in close contact with each other in a peelable state.

Diamond Finalists

• Embrapa Food Technology, Development of Innovative Packaging for Fruits
• Procter & Gamble, Tide Eco-Box
• Henkel, EPIX Technology for Sustainable Packaging
• Danone Nutricia Research, OpTri, a Collapsible Bottle for Tube Feeding Nutrition
• Amcor, Paperly Thermoformable Paper-Based Packaging
• Werner & Mertz GmbH and Mondi Group, Sustainable, 100% Recyclable Frosch Pouch Made of Polyethylene
• ProAmpac and L’Oréal, REDKEN Flash Lift Bonder Inside
• Truman’s, Truman’s Starter Kit

Gold Award Winners

• Kawakami Sangyo Co., Ltd., UKIYO-E PUTIPUTI:Kawakami Sangyo Co. Ltd. created the UKIYO-E PUTIPUTI package for sake centered on the theme of “gifting”. The design incorporates simple cushioning to convey the hospitable culture of Japan, transforming the product experience into a sense of surprise and emotion when it’s received.
• Meiji Co., Ltd., meiji THE Chocolate 6 COLLECTIONS Assorted Package: Meiji Co., Ltd. is changing the way chocolate is packed and eaten by wrapping individual bars with a three-way heat seal that makes packaging easy to open and allows customers to eatchocolate without the mess on their hands. The six different flavored chocolate bars are arranged in a thin box that is divided into small compartments, keeping each chocolate in its place while enabling easy one-hand removal. The package also includes a chart that shows readers the unique characteristics of each flavor of chocolate.
• Duallok, An Elegant Child-Resistant Packaging Solution: Developed by an award-winning design team to provide the most beautiful, user friendly and compliant package for high-end controlled substances. The DUALLOK patented double-lock design, certified under the 16 CFR 1700 guidelines for child resistance, keeps kids safe and brands compliant. The opening experience is a simple, intuitive interaction and has passed senior trials for easy opening. The format can be tailored to house anything from marijuana-based products to dietary supplements and pharmaceuticals.
• Amcor, 46 oz. Coffeemate natural bliss Cold Brew with Amcor Geo-Strap Base: Coffeemate natural bliss Cold Brew bottle with Amcor’s vacuum-resistant Geo-Strap base replaces an easily dented bottle design, and helps Nestlé deliver a packaging experiencfor its customers that aligns with the natural bliss brand – high quality, simplicity and all-natural ingredients. Amcor’s packaging engineers worked with Nestlé to use polyethylene terephthalate (PET) to create a lightweight, sleek and clear bottle, with the Geo-Strap base to prevent denting and overfilling in Nestlé’s supply chain.
• ALICO S.A., ReciPack: ALICO S.A.’s ReciPack is a recyclable, large-volume flexible pouch made of 100% polyethylene. The stand-up pouch can holdlarge volumes of product and provides a recyclable packaging option that optimizes features such as puncture resistance and rigidity to maintain function and aesthetics, together with its high gloss and printing aptitude.
• C.I. TAKIRON Corporation, SANZIP Sensory Zipper: C.I. TAKIRON Corporation has developed a new and innovative SANZIP Sensory zipper that consumers can ‘hear and feel’. By providing aunique and premium action that differentiates itself from standard closures, the sensory zipper range uses both sound and touch sensations to aid and improve the closing experience of the product. The SANZIP sensory range adds something unique to the portfolio, assisting in meeting increased demand for re-sealable packaging with zip locks.
• Amcor, Molson Coors — 12 Pack Cooler Bag: Amcor’s new Molson Coors 12 Pack Cooler Bag maintains the packaging billboard for shelf appeal and includes a carrying handle, while providing new functionality for a better userexperience. The side gusseted bag design makes it possible for additional film to tightly overlay the traditional brick format to create a compact design durable enough for distribution. Once open, that additional film turns into a durable cooler bag that holds up to five pounds of ice and can chill beers from 70°F to 35°F in as little as 20 minutes, eliminating long wait times and the need for a separate cooler.
• Reckitt Benckiser, Finish 0%: Reckitt Benckiser created Finish 0%, a fully recyclable pouch with an all-polyethylene (PE) structure. The company had to work through some common challenges for PE to formulate it properly for recyclability, functionality and performance. The company was able to use existing lines to process the new PE material, requiring no additional capital investment for new machinery.
• DuPont Teijin Films, LuxCR Depolymerization Process: DuPont Teijin Films’s LuxCR depolymerization process helps to overcome challenges of mechanical recycling and food contact compliance for recycled plastics. It de-polymerizes mechanically recovered PET back into the BHET monomer unit that’sindistinguishable from virgin monomers. That BHET base monomer is then re-polymerized and converted into a range of BOPET films for applications ranging from food packaging, to labels and to ID cards. The products it creates have the same mechanical, physical and optical properties as it would with virgin material, and the process has gone through a full assessment for food contact compliance including migration and NIAS testing at an accredited, independent external laboratory.
• Huhtamaki PPL Ltd., Bag-in-Bag for Extreme Drop Resistance: Huhtamaki PPL Ltd.’s Bag-in-Bag pouch is designed to protect granular free-flowing products from spilling, impact and extremehandling with an inner poly liner that stretches to absorb shocks, a K seal at the bottom and side gussets reinforced with nylon for high impact & drop resistance. Alternatively, it makes room for multiple compartments within the pouch for brands to push complimentary products to consumers as part of sales promotions.

Silver Award Winner

• Amcor, Full Moon Perdue Natural Look Pet Treat Pouch: Amcor created the first package to combine a matte finish, gloss print and paper-like texture in the premium, differentiated Full Moon Perdue Natural Look Pet Treats Pouch. The design elevates the user experience and aligns with the brand’s organic and premium positioning. This printing innovation helps the package deliver enhanced branding for authenticity, quality and differentiation to consumers shopping the crowded shelf of pet snacks.
• Hangzhou Holmes Food Co., Ltd., Baicaowei “Fresh Lock” Packaging: Hangzhou Holmes Food Co. created the Baicaowei “Fresh Lock” Packaging, which has a new way of keeping nuts fresh and crunchy, even when packaged with dry fruit. The innovation has a heat-sealed strip that divides it into two different portions, which can keep dry and wet components separate to provide better freshness and mouthfeel compared to other mixed nuts packaging. For Baicaowei’s Daily Nuts product, the heat seal effectively separates nuts from dried fruits, preventing the nuts from absorbing the moisture of the dry fruit, which can impact texture and taste. Finally, it features an easy tear opening to make it simple for consumers to unseal and mix separate food portions before eating
• Weener Plastics, 100% PCR Dish Soap Cap: Weener Plastics has developed the firstplastic hinged cap made from up to 100% post-consumer recycled (PCR) polypropylene (PP) for dish soap containers. Some PCR materials have alimited range of functionality and colors, but Weener’s overcomes that to help brands stand out with a vibrant PCR dish soap cap that offers a flip-top lid for a better consumer experience.
• Hangzhou Qunle Packaging Co., Ltd., The “Fortune Stick” Pet Snack Packaging: Hangzhou Qunle Packaging Co., Ltd created the “Fortune Stick” pet snack packaging so users can train and feed their cats at the same time.Cats can be difficult to train, so the snack packaging is equipped with a sounding device signaling that food is available when shaken and activates cats. It helps cats respond to food incentives by capturing their attention. Cats will become livelier and more focused.KW Container, TruSnap with TwistCap Paint Container: KW Container has redesigned its paint can, and changed the paint and coatings industry, for the second time with its TruSnap Container with a TwistCap lid. The all-plastic container, made of a proprietary injection-molded polymer resin, is 100% recycled and 100% recyclable. The can is designed with a triple-lock seal that snaps on and off to prevent dents and leaks, and eliminate rust. It’s treated to resist “skinning,” so the paint or coating inside remains as fresh as the day you opened it. With a durable, plastic ergonomic handle, the TruSnap container is now comfortable to carry and of course, fully recyclable.
• Incom Packing, SPOT: Incom Packing’s SPOT came to life through a collaboration with a supplier rather than a brand team, combining aesthetic and design capabilities with engineering and technical knowledge. The innovation’s closure is part of the main partof the package, tailored to the fragrance’s unique martini-glass bottle shape that creates an upside-down fragrance concept for a surprising and novel user experience. Overall, the package uses less material by cutting down on the use of general resins.
• Blue Apron, Sustainable Gel Packs: Blue Apron includes sustainable gel ice packs in its meal kits that consumers can safely drain in their household sink. Blue Apron transitioned to a drain-safe gel pack as part of a broader commitment to reduce its environmental footprint. Previously, Blue Apron used a super-absorbent polymer gel pack that was not fully recyclable. Now, using the new gel pack, consumers can recycle the exterior plastic and safely drain gel contents. The formulation was developed by gel pack manufacturer, Nordic Ice.
• Huhtamaki PPL Ltd., Barrier and Drop Resistant Bulk Bag: Designed to hold up to 25 kilograms of engineering polymers and master batches, Huhtamaki PPL Ltd.’s Barrier and Drop Resistant Bulk Bag offers superior drop-resistance, moisture and oxygen protection,heat dissipation as well as easier stacking and palletization. The lower end of the pouch features a one-way valve that allows trapped heat from hot product filling to dissipate from the bag. A unique lamination process reduces the sealant’s thickness while providing air cushioning that allows for it to be dropped up to seven feet without damaging the contents.
• ITC Limited, Packaging Business, “Breathable Wheat Flour Pack” with Air Release Control: ITC Limited’s packaging business has developed an innovative breathable wheat flour pack with air release control which strengthens the packaging and prevents the ingress of pests into the product. This superiorpackaging solution has introduced consistent micro-holes which prevents bursting and infestation, extends shelf life and allows the pack to withstand harsh logistics conditions. This packaging will greatly benefit the wheat supply chain and ultimately the consumer.
• Procter & Gamble / Gillette, Joy Razor: Joy is a new, refreshingly simple women’s razor brand that make shaving refreshingly simple. It brings a high quality, uncomplicated, shave – at a pleasantly surprising price. Sold exclusively at Walmart, the package is a folded carton box intentionally designed to appeal to consumers seeking a straightforward brand experience and features a novel pizza box-style opening. The packaging is supply chain friendly, made entirely from renewable and recyclable SBS paperboard covered in water-soluble printing and varnish.
• Schur Star Systems, Schur Star Zip-Pop Packing: Schur Star System’s Zip-Pop packaging allows users to cook a readymade meal in one step. The innovative dual-chamber stand-up pouch contains aflavor-release chamber that automatically delivers spices and herbs to the food, resulting in a perfectly seasoned meal that needs no additional mixing. A combination of material, ventilation and zipper construction, provides optimal shelf-life and allows separate compartments to pop together at precise times during microwaving. The total process can be completed in six minutes – from heating to eating.
• Unilever, Love Beauty and Planet: Love Beauty and Planet is Unilever’s first vegan beauty brand. Launched in the United States in 2017, the brand is currently present in 28 countries. Untested on animals, using 100% recycledplastic bottles, made from natural extracts and certified by Vegan Act and PETA, the brand aims to democratize vegan beauty and products, and bring together a community of consumers who want to take care of themselves, while doing good. Sustainable in its DNA, Love Beauty and Planet aims to minimize its environmental footprint in a holistic way by paying attention to all aspects of the product journey, including ingredients and packaging, valuing beauty with purpose.

Collaboration Honorable Mention

• Werner & Mertz GmbH and Mondi Group, Sustainable, 100% Recyclable Frosch Pouch Made of Polyethylene: Werner & Mertz GmbH and Mondi Group developed the sustainable, 100% polyethylene (PE) Frosch pouch to replace its previous multi-material flexible packaging for various products. The new mono-material PE film was developed to be 100% recyclable by eliminatingbarriers (like EVOH) and adhesives that can prevent recyclability. The package’s decoration is printed on a PE-film. No additional materials are disturbing the near infrared (NIR) detection during sorting. Finally, refilling an existing Frosch-bottle by using this pouch saves up to 70% material

e-Commerce Honorable Mention

• PAC Worldwide,Scent BlockingProtectiveMailer:mScent-Blocking Cushioned Mailers are ideal for mailing products such as hemp, edibles, CBD oils, essential oils, or perfumes. Made from barrier films for maximum odor-blocking protection, the mailers keep the scent of the package contents undetectable. These mailers also provide cushioning protection and water resistance. Its discreet design allows you to mail your valuables without attracting unwanted tampering. Additional features to keep contents safe and secure include an integrated child-deterrent zipper and a permanent adhesive closure seal with tamper-evident indications.
• Smart Karton, All-Paper Pack: Smart Karton’s All Paper Pack is a patented box that has a cohesive paper liner internally attached. The liner is wrapped around the product holding it firmly in place thus eliminatingthe need for any void fill. It can be folded manually and also automatically via Smart Karton’s Smart Packer. The result is a totally sustainable package that gives great presentation when opened and saves overall costs.
• Procter & Gamble (China) Sales Co., Ltd., E-commerce Packaging: Procter & Gamble (China) Sales Co. Ltd. created its Ship In Own Container (SIOC) as e-commerce continues to grow in importance, requiring protection for products during transportation. Traditionally,companies have protected their shipping products with multiple boxes, which requires significant material use and cost. However, this innovation uses tailored configurations of corrugated cardboard, boxes and trays to cut down on material use while maintaining protection during shipping and enhancing the consumer experience. The resulting design helps reduce material complexity and waste, cuts end-to-end costs by 20% to 40%, improves fulfillment center picking and packing productivity by 200%, reduces damage and leakage rates during shipping by 70% and eliminates 30% to 60% of paperboard in the packaging.
• Procter & Gamble, Tide Eco-Box: Tide has reimagined its 50+ year old detergent with a breakthrough Eco-Box packaging designedspecifically for eCommerce and shipping directly to consumers’ doorsteps. Tide’s Eco-Box revolutionary packaging is 60% less plastic than the equivalent bottle (150 oz) and contains an ultra-concentrated formula. On top of having less packaging, Eco-Box doesn’t require any secondary re-boxing or bubble wrap. The Eco-Box also delights consumers with a no-drip tap that is easier to use and less messy than other liquid packaging.
• Henkel, EPIX Technology for Sustainable Packaging: Henkel’s EPIX Technology for Sustainable Packaging is a paper-based, curbside-recyclable package that optimizes weight, size and impact resistance for shipping.The innovation reduces processing costs and features a revolutionary lightweight cushioning material. EPIX Technology facilitates recyclability of the paper package and is part of Henkel’s strategy for a circular economy.
• Truman’s, Truman’s Starter Kit: Truman’s Starter Kit aims to provide an alternative to single-use plastic bottles for household cleaners, because only 15% of single-use household cleaner containersland in a recycle bin in the United States. Each of Truman’s cleaners are made with a concentrate and cartridge system that enables consumers to repeatedly refill the bottle with water from their sink. Each cartridge is fully recyclable and uses up to 96% less plastic than a typical cleaning product.