22 May 2014 US: The 2014 DuPont Packaging Awards

Last week DuPont presented 16 awards at the 26th DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation, the industry's longest-running, global, independently judged competition highlighting innovative packaging solutions and collaboration throughout the value chain. Most of the winners are food and beverages – and note how prominently flexible pouches feature. A South African company also stars.

This year, the program received nearly 200 entries from 31 countries, marking the second-highest number of entries and broadest reach in the program’s 26-year history.

The 2014 top laureate is Unilever (UK), who took the Diamond Award for its line of compressed deodorants. The international panel of judges recognised Unilever for excellence in all three award criteria – Technological Advancement, Responsible Packaging and Enhanced User Experience.

Unilever’s new containers carry the same amount of product in a package half the size of the original. The smaller packages meet airline carry-on requirements, allow retailers to stock more products on the same shelf space and significantly cut transportation costs as more units fit on a pallet and into each truck.

In addition to the Diamond Award, the panel of independent judges selected five gold winners and 10 silver winners representing 11 countries. Gold Award recipients demonstrate excellence in any two of the criteria, while Silver Award recipients show excellence in any one of the criteria.

“The Packaging Awards continue to celebrate innovation and champion collaboration,” said William Harvey, president, DuPont Packaging & Industrial Polymers.  “We updated the award categories this year to reflect emerging trends and amplify the consumer’s role in driving innovation.”

Consumer convenience earned high marks in this year’s competition. Seventy-five percent of the winning packaging solutions bring a higher degree of convenience to consumers.

For example, cardboard packaging from VerDeSoft, Germany, allows home cooks to prepare fresh pasta in three minutes by squeezing dough straight out of the package into a boiling pot. P&G in Belgium, Brussels, Singapore and Switzerland won an award for liquid cleaner bottles with smart dosing caps that automatically stop the product flow after dispensing a pre-measured dose. Ultra-high-temperature milk pouches from Parakh Agro Industries, India, keep milk fresh without refrigeration for up to 90 days and enable it to be consumed without first being boiled.

“DuPont Packaging Awards winners demonstrate the best of today’s innovative packaging solutions,” said Yasmin Siddiqi, DuPont Packaging Awards program leader. “Unique designs and advanced technology are used more and more creatively today to package products to enhance user experience and convenience.”

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DIAMOND WINNER

• Compressed Deodorant Cans Contain Same Quantity with Less Packaging (Unilever – UK)

GOLD WINNERS

Cardboard-Pouch Enables Fresh, Easy-Squeeze Pasta in Minutes: This pouch departs from the conventional film format with a cardboard-based design that enables consumers to make fresh pasta at home. (VerDeSoft, Frizle AG, ALB-Gold Teigwaren, and Martin Spiegel Kartonagenfabrik)
Separable Pouch for Multiple Marinades Simplifies Home Cooking: It separates two components of a meat marinade into one package. (Amcor Flexibles – Huizhou, China and Singapore; Contributors: Nestlé Australia – MAGGI  Stir-fry Creations)
Film Pouch Brings Shelf-Stable Milk to India: Milk consumption in India is on the rise, but dairy distribution is behind. This pouch fills the gap with a package offering an ambient shelf life of 90 days. (Parakh Agro Industries – India; Contributor: Elecster – Finland and ISF Industries – India)

SILVER WINNERS

Green Water Cooler Bottle Made from 100 percent Recycled Material: The ‘green’ of this water-cooler bottle, from Ice River Springs, refers to more than its emerald colour. The resin is derived from 100% recycled materials. (Ice River Springs Water Company – USA and Canada)
Honey Pot Shows How to ‘Bee’ More Responsible: Betamiel, a Moroccan honey brand, crafted these pots out of beeswax leftover from the honey harvesting process. Consumers also are encouraged to stretch the pack’s sustainability by reusing the jar after the honey is gone. (Betamiel – Morocco)
Stand-Up Retort Pouch Transforms the Latin American Food-Service Industry: This retort flexible pouch is geared toward foodservice use. The package is designed to be easy to handle and open, and faster to heat up than conventional rigid containers. (Bemis – Brazil: Contributor: Tradbor – Brazil)
Infini Bottle Takes Lightweighting to a Whole New Level: Nampak Plastics' Infini bottle is an already much-awarded HDPE container offering ultra-lightweight performance. Nampak says it is constructed with up to 20% less material than other containers. (Nampak Plastics, UK; Contributor: Velocity – USA)
Microwaveable Sandwich Pouch Keeps Bread Moist During Heating: Microwaveable packaging is convenient, but sandwich bread sometimes doesn’t fare well in the heating process. This pouch keeps the bread moist and tasty. (Curwood – USA; Contributor: Hillshire Brands – USA)
Peanut Package Combines Rigid Functionalities with Flexible Savings: ClearLam’s PrimaPak container combines the light weight of flexible film with the branding and stacking capabilities of rigid. (Clear Lam Packaging – USA; Contributors: John B Sanfilippo and Son – USA; Spear Systems – USA)
Roast-In-The-Bag Chicken Package Minimizes Safety Risks, Maximizes Consumer Convenience: This roast-in-bag addresses safety concerns about poultry. The polyester flow wrap enables consumers to cook the bird in the package, without having to touch the raw chicken. (FFP Packaging Solutions – UK; Contributors: Faccenda, ASDA and ULMA – UK)
Snap-Top Package Ensures Freshness for Mexican Deli Meat: This is designed to keep ham fresh after opening. The reclosable package clicks audibly when the container is secure. (Sigma Alimentos – Mexico; Contributors: Sigma Alimentos (R&D, Marketing, and Processing Departments); Multivac and Winpak – Mexico)
Soup Packet Optimised for Extended Shelf Life and Environmental Savings: Parts of Africa have insufficient distribution channels to carry foods through the supply chain before the product spoils. This soup packet combines a co-extruded paper laminate, specialised barrier, and sealing polymer to provide long shelf life, and low energy consumption during production. (Mondi – Austria; Contributors: Mondi Coatings; Mondi Coating Zeltweg – Austria; Afripack Group – South Africa)
Gatorade Bottle Gets Lighter But Stronger: PepsiCo's 28-ounce Gatorade bottle is 13% lighter and 28% stronger than before. (Pepsico – USA; Contributors: Stress Engineering and Tether – USA)