Originality and technical innovation take centre stage

Winners in the Consumer Convenience category included Constantia Flexibles’ stick pack opening solution that offers easy and clean opening for dosage stick packs, primarily used in the pharmaceutical sector for oral applications of liquids and powder. The judges were impressed with the laser perforation that allows quick and simple opening and is clearly marked by arrows at one end of the stick.

Second winner in this category was ELAG Verpackungen/AMPAC: Poli Paté for its three-sided sealed pouch containing a chicken sausage pâté. The judges liked the shape and high-quality print that enhances visual appeal, but the pack’s main attribute is its convenience and ease of product delivery.

The final award in the Consumer Convenience category went to Plas Pack, a multilayer technology applied to aluminium trays and lids developed by Danapak Flexibles and Tibon Technology. The judges were impressed with the Tibon coating that enables infrared radiation to be transmitted in an efficient way into the food.

Receiving an award in the Marketing & Design category was Cofresco Frischhalteprodukte: Toppits/Albal Gourmet aluminium foil. The judges admired the creative and well thought out improvement to a traditional product.

Also receiving an award in this category was Leeb: ENEXY for its power snack that taps into the strong demand for ‘on the go’ energy products. The judges liked the stunning pack shape and enhanced graphics, accomplished through clever design and use of an aluminium/PE solvent-free laminate.

In the Product Preservation category, Amcor Flexibles won an award for its Formpack Dessiflex Plus. The judges liked the inclusion of the desiccant in the sealing layer of the cold-formed blister bottom foil that reduces drying speeds for tablets.

The other award in this category went to Guala Closures for its Roll On TE. The judges were impressed with the standard size roll-on aluminium screw cap that incorporates a tamper-evident feature.

In the Resource Efficiency category, the judges voted for Constantia Flexibles’ blister lidding foil with water-based primer that eliminates solvents, resulting in major environmental advantages. The judges also presented Huhtamaki Ronsberg with an award for its R-Laminate. They were impressed by the reduction in the thickness and weight of the material of between 25 and 45%.

Constantia Flexibles won again in the Technical Innovation category, this time for its Staxyn child-resistant blister pack that appealed to the judges with its cold-formed bottom material and paper-free peelable child-resistant lidding foil.

The second winning entry was from Novelis Lüdenscheid Packaging & Converting and Lydall Gerhadi for its vibration-damped heat shield for luxury German vehicles. Impressing the judges was the aluminium foil used to great effect, showing a technical understanding of the material and its capabilities.

Final winner in this category was Protective Packaging and Survivakit’s Survivastill – a remarkable survival product that creates drinking water from almost anything containing moisture.

And the star of the show was a pack that showed distinctive inventive features that created the opportunity for judges to award Overall Excellence for a development that excelled across four of the five categories.

Canny, a premium-quality aluminium bowl for food products, designed and manufactured by Amcor Flexibles, is the result of two years’ development to produce a wrinkle-free aluminium thin-wall bowl. Primarily aimed at premium or indulgence food markets, it is designed to meet the needs of customer convenience for products that appeal to all ages. Canny has many attractive practical features that make it stand out as an innovative alufoil product. The judges commented that it looks good, feels good to touch, is fully printed and easy to open. In addition, it’s 30% lighter than traditional ring-pull cans. Empty bowls are nestable, saving up to 90% on space during transportation and storage. It is easily compacted by hand to reduce volume for disposal and is also fully recyclable.