The judges also named eight category winners who received either a Marketing or Technical Award.
These included Uflex (India), which took home the Marketing Award in the Food Packaging category for a preformed, stand-up bag for 12kg of Land of Sybaris dog food from Multirange (UK). The five-layer, hermetically sealed bag consists of a BOPP/metallised BOPP/LDPE laminate and features a recloseable slider zipper. A rib construction reinforces the upper seal area, enabling the bag to withstand rigorous drop tests. A metallised centre layer and reverse printing of the top layer with pearlescent inks achieves an upscale satin appearance. The metallised BOPP also enhances barrier properties.
The Technical Award in this category went to Super Film (Turkey) for metallising biaxially oriented polyethylene terephthalate (BOPET) PETwist film, converted by Dali Ambalaj (Turkey) into twist wrap for confectionery and non-confectionery products. This twistable, non-heat-sealable white pigmented material is metallised on one side and treated to ensure good adhesion of inks and coatings. It provides an alternative to PVC and cast PP, delivering good gas and odour barrier, high tensile strength, gloss, stiffness, puncture resistance and twistability. It also offers higher yield than PVC or cellophane twist wraps. Acceptable for direct food contact, it eliminates the need for the second layer of film typically used with PVC twist wrap for single pieces of confectionery.
In the Healthcare, Cosmetics & Toiletries Packaging category, Unifoil captured the Marketing Award, and Hazen Paper (US) earned the Technical Award.
The Marketing Award recognises a striking holographic folding carton for Aquafresh Extreme Clean Toothpaste from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) (US). The metallised polyester features a custom-registered diffraction effect along with a large 3-D lens to identify the Extreme Clean family. Colour coding the lens delivers major on-shelf impact. Opaque and transparent ink behind the lens and Aquafresh logo further accentuate brand identity.
Hazen Paper captured the Technical Award in this category for an upscale carton for the retail introduction of a premium gel nail polish. The carton structure for Nutra Nail Gel Perfect Polish from CCA Industries (US) consists of coated-one-side SBS, laminated in register with metallised custom holographic polyester.
Unifoil and Hazen Paper also split the awards in the Other category, where Unifoil took the Marketing Award for designing and converting a dual-envelope combination used for overnight courier deliveries. Based on Unifoil’s Unilustre transfer-metallising technology, the inner SBS envelope features vivid printing and holography to communicate the importance of the contents. The outer envelope, also SBS, presents a metallic blue butterfly and environmental message. Both envelopes are printed with UV inks and a matte overprint varnish.
The Technical Award went to Hazen Paper for a striking Driven-2-Design postcard promotion sent to delegates at the HOW Conference 2011, organised by Color Logic (US). The Foiljet Digital paperboard is coated on two sides with a proprietary coating, certified for printing on HP Indigo digital presses. Billed as the first HP Indigo-certified transfer-metallised substrate, the material is easily recycled because metal content is extremely low and there’s no film layer.
PLA tape takes Sustainability Award
AIMCAL bestowed its 2012 Sustainability Award on Taghleef Industries for printed, pressure-sensitive tape made from its transparent Nativia NTSS or solid white Nativia NWSS biaxially oriented polylactic acid (PLA) films.
The award recognises tapes converted by Logo Tape (Germany). Based on PLA resin from NatureWorks, the bio-based compostable tapes rely on proprietary coating technology, can carry printed messages, and are particularly suited for sealing kraft paper bags and corrugated cases.
Unlike conventional nondegradable PP or polyester tapes, PLA tapes don’t pose a problem for subsequent composting or recycling, exhibit high tensile and bond strengths, and perform in numerous industrial and consumer applications.
The PLA material scores environmental points because it’s derived from a renewable source (corn). Compared to PP or polyester, PLA tape are said to offer a lower carbon footprint, recyclability, compostability and compatibility with some paper recycling processes where PLA dissolves into nontoxic lactide.
