Technological watch

Henkel AG & Co KGaA's Social Plastic Ecosystem and Plastic Bank have won he 2020 Packaging Innovation Awards' highest honor, the Diamond Award.

This pilot program, established by Henkel to create a new line of sustainable cosmetic packaging, utilized recycled materials from Plastic Bank, a social enterprise which aims to stop ocean-bound plastic waste and provide economic opportunities for people in extreme poverty. Since its launch in 2018, Henkel has produced and sold 15 million bottles made from recycled plastic across Western Europe.

Dow Inc. is the sponsor of the packaging innovation awards. They recognize packaging breakthroughs across the entire packaging value chain in categories ranging from food and beverage to personal care with a strong focus on sustainability and the circular economy.

Due to the pandemic, the 32nd edition of the awards followed a different, virus-proof procedure.

"The entry and judging processes were fully virtual this year for the first time, and it still produced strong competition with rigorous judging to recognize the top innovations," said Diego Donoso, president of Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics.

The judging panel, made up of professionals from around the world in a wide range of fields, evaluated more than 175 entries from companies around the globe. In addition to the Diamond Award, the judges also selected three Diamond Finalists, six Gold Award Winners, five Silver Award Winners, two honorable mentions for Emerging Applications and one honorable mention for Advancements in Industrial Distribution systems.

"I've been a judge in the Packaging Innovation Awards for many years, and this one presented a unique challenge in the way it was structured," said lead judge David Luttenberger, global packaging director for Mintel Group Ltd. "Despite the challenging circumstances, the participants delivered the same quality of innovations as in previous years."

Other winners are:

Diamond Finalists

Zacros, in collaboration with Procter & Gamble Co. Japan Ltd., for Ariel Platinum Sports refill pouch.

Alico, metal-free recyclable coffee packaging.

Kirin Holdings Co. Ltd. in collaboration with Mitsubishi Chemical Corp., for new thin film deposition technology for PET bottles using hot-wire CVD device.

Gold Award Winners

CJ Cheiljedang, kimchi easy carry pouch.

Packaging Industries Ltd. in collaboration with Policy and Market Options and SNV Netherlands Development Organization, for the Mama Silage Bag.

ProAmpac, in collaboration with L'Oréal for Maybelline FitMe Matte and Poreless Foundation.

Danone in collaboration with Goplas, Mexico yogurt cup.

Parnaplast in collaboration with Interpack Packaging Solutions, oxi-free high barrier green grain coffee packaging.

Reckitt Benckiser Brazil in collaboration with Guala Dispensing, Narita Design, Logoplaste Brasil, Alpla and Flexoprint Labels for Veja Specialists redesign.
Silver Award Winners

Natura in collaboration with Silgan, IFF, Wheaton, Grupo Pochet do Brasil, Inobi and Kawagraf, Ekos Alma for new Natura fragrance.

Flexinnova kft in collaboration with Foltrade kft, GripTop antislip bag.

Sunrise Packaging Material (Jiangyin) Co. Ltd in collaboration with Guangdong Wuqiong Food Co. Ltd. for the high barrier, retort and easy-peel packaging for Chinese style spiced corned egg.

Amcor Ltd. for its Matrix paper-based recyclable cheese wrap.

UPM Raflatac in collaboration with UPM Biofuels and Vellamo – Ice Age Water Ltd., UPM Raflatac Forest Film.

Emerging Category Honorable Mention

Calyx Containers, Calyx Concentrate Container.

Grove Bags, Grove Bags Terploc Film.

Advancement in Industrial Distribution Systems Honorable Mention

Mauser Packaging Solutions in collaboration with Strauch GmbH, DrumGuard for the sustainable load securing system for drums on pallets.