Intelligent and creative examples of packaging reduction
The German Packaging Award, whose winners have now been announced, is also focused on sustainability. Under the patronage of the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, a jury of leading research institutes and universities, industry and retail and the trade press together with an expert group from trade associations reviewed and evaluated submissions from 14 countries. As the organiser of the Packaging Award, the German Packaging Institute (dvi), invites you to the award ceremony at FachPack in Nuremberg on 24 September 2019.
In the jury’s opinion the 34 winners of the German Packaging Award 2019 show packaging “in perfect symbiosis with the packaged good, intelligent and creative ways to reduce packaging costs, using innovative technologies and materials, craftsmanship, storytelling and high-quality, attention-grabbing designs with a love of detail”. The 34 award-winning innovations include solutions made of corrugated board, cardboard and wood, plastic, glass and metal, for food, beverages, cosmetics, medicine, industrial goods, logistics and FMCG. There were winners in the categories for designing and processing, presentation of goods, sustainability, security, logistics and material flow, new material, machine engineering (technology, software), and young talent.
According to dvi board member Dr Bettina Horenburg, the German Packaging Award showed the importance of sustainability: “Sustainability is very clearly a priority in current innovation. This is true in all the competition’s categories, industries and materials. We are seeing many remarkable innovations that use recycled materials, that apply future vision and consistency to ensuring the recyclability of packaging, or that reduce the overall cost of packaging and materials. There is rapid growth in solutions using monomaterial. Also, new materials and ways are being found to make packaging increasingly sustainable.”
Reduced use of resource
One winner in the sustainability category is Bachmann Forming AG, with packaging for fresh products (see picture). Thermoformed packaging elements are now an indispensable feature on retail shelves. The goal of this development was to reduce the use of resources while maintaining high packaging functionality. The goal is achieved here by reducing the film to a 3D mesh structure, achieving material savings of up to 50 per cent. The 3D form stability is impressive even with the reduced material use, and the permeable surface offers useful functionality, for example with fresh products, by avoiding condensation in the packaging #, while the container can be used by the consumer as a colander. In addition, the mesh design of the packaging has excellent cushioning properties that make it suitable for applications outside the food sector as well. The jury was persuaded by the 50 per cent material savings, monomaterial and recyclability with a new material form and forming technology, and a broad range of applications to a wide variety of products and industries.
Award ceremony and Gold Awards
The award ceremony with industry VIPs on the first afternoon of FachPack in Nuremberg is a major event in the industry. Horenburg explains that it will present the winner of the coveted Packaging Gold Award, which honours innovations offering particularly unique and impressive solutions or break new ground.
