Sustainability and innovation honoured in DuPont packaging awards
Ground-breaking aluminium and plant-based bottles, a compostable snack bag and modified atmosphere packing for meat and cheese from major names such as Coca-Cola, Sealed Air and Pepsi were all among those recognised.
The panel, made up of industry and regulatory leaders, evaluated 160 entries from around the world. They rewarded products that embodied innovation, sustainability as well as cost and waste reduction.
Sustainability
Exal Corp and Alcoa Rigid Packaging were one of two top Diamond winners for their aluminium bottle - whose new technology makes them a mainstream option, said the expert judges. The new ‘Coil to Can’ (C2C) manufacturing technology features recyclable aluminium alloy and allows marketers to consider aluminium bottles for large scale beverage applications for the first time. The containers “use less material and are manufactured at faster speeds to enable a 40 per cent weight reduction at a cost comparable to PET and/or glass,” said the panel.
Frito-Lay North America was honoured with a Gold award for what was described as the “world’s first fully compostable snack bag”. The multi-layer packing consists of polylactic acid (PLA) for the outer bag, along with compostable adhesive and inner barrier coating.
“The result is a bag that uses renewable materials and allows for new disposal options such as composting, which diverts packaging from the landfill,” said the jury.
Coca-Cola’s PET plastic bottle made partially from plants was also a Gold winner. The container, which uses PET resin sourced from up to 30 per cent plant-based renewable material, is the first of its kind that can be recycled with other PET bottles in the existing PET recycling infrastructure.
“The new bottle technology leverages the key environmental advantages of traditional PET, which include maintaining carbonation, resource efficiency and high recycling value, while reducing dependence on non-renewable resources”, declared the DuPont adjudicators.
Sealed Air’s Cryovac technology received two Silver awards. The Mirabella anti-fog shrink film for modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) – developed in Italy – allows film-to-meat contact with reduced pack volume, without discolouring the meat. Thinner packaging, longer product appearance appeal and a reduction in food waste were all noted.
The company’s Grip and Tear bag was won a silver prize for its ease of opening, shrinkage, toughness and oxygen barrier properties. The panel applauded the bag’s “knifeless design improves employee safety, reduces the risk of cross-contamination, eliminates mess, and keeps the workspace clean”.
