When the doors to the Munich hall of the NCC Mitte opened at 4 p.m. on the first day of the trade fair, there was excitement and anticipation in the air. The German Packaging Institute had already announced the winners of Europe's largest packaging exhibition in August. The big unanswered question in the afternoon was who would additionally win the particularly exclusive Gold Award from among the packaging prize winners.
The special industry event was opened by Peter Ottmann, CEO of NürnbergMesse. Afterwards, Oliver Berndt, Head of Events & Marketing at the dvi and moderator of the event, thanked the IGEPA group, FACHPACK, and Mitsubishi Electric as this year’s partners of the German Packaging Award.
41 Radiant Winners
The dvi received almost 250 entries from 13 countries this year, which were assessed and evaluated by a 27-strong independent jury over the course of a two-day meeting in July. In the end, 41 winners were chosen, whose innovations covered the entire range of materials in all ten award categories. At the awards ceremony, the winners received their certificates, the red trophy of the German Packaging Award, and much deserved applause.
Five Outstanding Gold Awards
After the awards ceremony is before the Gold Awards. Once more this year, the jury discovered innovations that were additionally recognized and awarded as particularly pioneering solutions. The gold-colored trophies were presented by dvi CEO Thomas Reiner.
Gold for Sykell GmbH
In the digitization category, a Gold Award went to CIRCULAR ERP, a platform developed by Sykell for managing reusable and circular goods. The cloud-based software model was designed specifically for the management of deposit and reusable systems and can map a variety of different primary and secondary packaging such as bottles, molded trays, or other containers. The software also integrates various third-party providers such as logistics partners and cleaning companies, enabling efficient operation throughout the entire supply chain. This makes it much easier for companies to enter the circular economy.
Gold for MB Creative Technologies
In the Functionality & Convenience category, gold went to Magic-B-locK, an innovative packaging material with closure and opening mechanism using a legitimation card. The exclusive packaging was developed to protect children and young people from opening and consuming the packaged goods, in this case e-cigarettes and liquids containing nicotine. The packaging can only be opened with a separate legitimation card, which must be held up against the front of the box. An audible technical “click” signals that the box has been opened. Especially in light of the growing market for nicotine-containing products and the ongoing legalization of cannabis, the intelligent function of the packaging convinced the jury.
Gold for LEEB GmbH & Co. KG.
Leeb's PureWrap PP was awarded gold in the sustainability category. The unmixed and recyclable soft cheese wrapper excels with two 100 percent scores: in terms of the material used and its recyclability. The jury praised the impressive conversion from a multi-material primary packaging to a pure PP wrapper. The mono-material consists of an outer layer and a specially woven PP. This fleece-like layer allows the cheese to continue maturing naturally by forming an air cushion. The customer does not notice any difference when eating the cheese. The challenge to product quality and the mono-material for the circular economy is outstanding and was particularly highlighted by the jury.
Gold for Zotefoams plc
Another gold in the sustainability category went to ReZorce Circular Packaging by Zotefoams. The sustainable alternative for beverage cartons consists of 100 percent HDPE, allowing 30 to 70 percent mechanically recycled HDPE to be used. A patented technology makes it possible to apply a layer with a barrier function during extrusion. Another gold argument for the jury: the HDPE packaging demonstrably reduces environmental impacts such as water consumption and energy use by around 50 percent compared to conventional composite beverage cartons.
Gold for MULTIVAC Sepp Haggenmüller SE & Co. KG
In the packaging machine category, the MULTIVAC Cooling@Packing System was able to secure a Gold Award. The machine cools bakery products during packing by means of vacuum. The cooling process is integrated into a thermoforming, filling, and sealing machine. The required reduction in temperature from 95°C to around 30°C is achieved by vacuum chambers arranged one behind the other in the packaging machine. Packaging immediately after baking optimizes the freshness and shelf life of the products. As there is no need for the usual separate cooling process, energy, time, and space can be saved. The inline solution also increases process reliability and reduces costs compared to conventional vacuum coolers. Plenty of arguments for gold in the eyes of the jury.
