The Sustainable Packaging Design of the Year award is designed to recognise companies that have developed innovative packaging or processing solutions that incorporates sustainability considerations. Elements include Social, Material, Source Reduction, Energy and Recovery.
Due to the broad array of innovative and sustainable packaging designs in this category, this year the judges have split up the winners into the following categories:
- Recycled Content
- Labelling
- Mono Material Advancements
- Renewable Materials
- Compostables
"Sustainability, extended producer responsibility, circular economy... these are the watchwords of our industry, bearing the strongest influence on packaging choices made by packaging technologists, designers and converters who are working in collaboration with brand owners to meet their mutual sustainability commitments," said PKN managing editor & publisher Lindy Hughson, who was co-host of the 2023 PIDA awards.
"We’re seeing the rapid development of new material technology to support and advance recyclability or compostability, and the emergence of innovation that enables the reduction of materials, and or the reuse of the packaging itself."
RECYCLED CONTENT
And the winners are...
The Bronze winner was Dulux 50 per cent rPP Paint and Lid by Pact Group and Dulux Group, while the Silver winner was Banrock Station Eco Bottle by Accolade Wines.
Topping the category with the Gold was Coles Finest Carbon Neutral Steak Vacuum Packaging by Coles Group and Plantic Technologies.
About the Gold winner:
In April 2022, Coles became the first major Australian supermarket to launch a certified Own Brand Carbon Neutral Beef range.
Available in all Coles stores, the product range is certified carbon neutral from paddock to shelf to the Australian government’s Climate Active Carbon Neutral Standard.
The PLANTIC RV tray is manufactured using modern technology where locally sourced Recycled PET, is combined with the renewable sourced, high barrier PLANTIC HP sheet. The vacuum tray s made from 70 per centrecycled PET and 20 per cent renewable starch. The LCA study shows that the use of the Plantic packaging will reduce C02 emissions by approximately 13,998kgs, or equivalent to planting 1924 trees when compared to traditional oil-based virgin plastics. Additionally, the use of recycled PET in this product line is equivalent to approximately 273,865 600ml PET water bottles.
During the design process the pack size and weight was reduced, achieving a physical size reduction of 26 per cent and a weight (g) reduction of 28 per cent per pack in comparison to the original pack design. This change resulted in a weight saving of approximately 1.4MT of material since the launch. This modification allowed the product to remain the same in size and weight. This meant that the overall product to packaging ratio increased by 14 per cent.
The choice of a linerless label that easily separates from the top film and tray reduces excess material usage.
Each primary unit is packed into a cardboard carton which is fully recyclable via Coles back of house recycling system, contains 74 per cent recycled fibres and is PEFC certified.
The tray is kerbside recyclable. During the recycling process, the thin starch layer uniquely washes away, allowing the PET tray to be recovered. The secondary and tertiary packaging components are recyclable via Coles back of house recycling stream.
LABELLING
And the winners are...
The Silver winner was RafCycle by UPM Raflatac.
Topping the category with the Gold was Herma InNo Liner Labelling by Result Group and Hanes Australasia.
About the Gold winner:
Herma InNo Liner is a new labelling system that enables more eco-friendly packaging through shipping labels that do not contain any liner material. The system is completely recyclable, has no liners, and is silicone-free.
A huge amount of waste is avoided because the HERMA InNo-Liner system can drastically minimise the entire climate-relevant CO2 footprint of labels – by managing the material without any silicon release liner material or even coating, they are 100 per cent removed.
Benefits of Liners compared to self-adhesive labels include:
- Reducing shipping costs by 50 per cent
- Using less down time for the manufacturing process
- Minimising waste sent to landfill
- Saving on storage space
- The saving of the release liner alone ensures 45% less CO2 emissions compared to self-adhesive labels.
- No liner waste and therefore no waste disposal costs
- Lower transport volume and weight and therefore reduced CO2 emissions
- More material on each roll and therefore fewer roll changes
- Less material consumption (No label feed or waste stripping)
- Avoidance of torn backing paper
- Less warehousing space
Both thermal transfer and direct thermal methods are available for printing variable data on the labels, and labels can also be pre-printed in colour using traditional processes, such flexographic or digital techniques.
MONO MATERIAL ADVANCEMENTS
And the winners are...
The Bronze winner was Store Operations Fruit & Vegetable PE film by Woolworths Group, while the Silver winner was JBS Swift Lamb Cutlets CRYOVAC Darfesh Mono-PET rollstock by Sealed Air.
The Gold winner was Australian Organic Food Co. Minestrone Soup mono material retort pouch by Flavour Makers and Toppan Inc.
About the Gold winner:
The Australian Organic Food Co Soup package is Australia's first 100 per cent recycle-ready high-barrier mono-material retort pouch that is suitable for heat sterilisation was completely underpinned by material science innovation. This entry is really about the utilisation of break-through materials. The new structure is OPP 20μm, (Barrier) OPP 20μm, CPP80μm. Although the finished product may look and feel like a traditional pouch, everything is different. Maintaining print registration on OPP requires greater precision and attention to tension control. The Toppan team have achieved perfect print registration on this package.
Up until this project Flavour Makers had been unable to achieve a quality seal consistently on our retort filling lines using anything less than a 100μm CPP sealant layer. However, Toppan's specially developed sealant has allowed them to reduce the thickness of the sealant layer to 80μm. The CPP layer was developed specifically for mono-material applications to maximise the sealing window. This improved sealing performance, along with the calibration of the sealing equipment has allowed them to reduce their CPP usage to 80μm.
High barrier, mono-material packaging for retort applications was the final frontier in designing recyclability into flexible packaging. Now that this has been accomplished, it demonstrates to other food manufacturers that solutions can be achieved, even in the most challenging areas of food production.
Renewable Materials
And the winners are...
A High Commendation was awarded to Priestley’s Gourmet Delights Fibre tray insert by Opal. The Bronze winner was Sustainable Fresh Produce Packaging by Detpak and Woolworths Supermarkets, while the Silver winner was Tempguard Gusset for HelloFresh by Sealed Air.
Topping the category with the Gold was Wine Protector by Planet Protector Packaging.
About the Gold winner:
The Wine Protector has been developed using Woolpack technology. Made from cross bred sheep waste wool the wool is unsuitable for the textile industry and destined for landfill.
The Wine Protector is a sustainable alternative to expanded polystyrene (EPS) shippers used to protect bottled wine from temperature and impact damage throughout the supply chain. Until now, there has not been a viable sustainable alternative in the wine packaging sector that delivers the temperature stability required for supply chains, many of which involve export.
The Wine Protector seems simple, but it is underpinned by science. It took more than a year to research and develop the proprietary fibre specifications and blend. Wine integrity can be compromised through impact damage and as little as 40°c for just two hours during transport. Wine can rapidly reach over 50°c when stored inside a car or on a mildly warm day. Such conditions can have a detrimental impact on shelf life, aesthetics and sensory properties of the wine.
The Wine Protector is made of an insulating wool sleeve used to stabilise wine temperatures and impact resistance to cushion and protect the wine in transit. The packaging reduces materials handling costs. 900 units fit on a pallet which means less pallet movements and lower labour costs which translates to a lesser number of shipments and a lower carbon footprint. This is achieved through a compact design along with compressing the Wine Protectors up to 50 per cent of their size and are easy to assemble.
The Wine Protector requires far less storage space thereby improving utility use as well as logistical efficiencies. Wineries and cellar doors are generally space constrained making this a high value-added design feature. The design supports wine growers to transport their temperature-sensitive wines without harming the planet.
COMPOSTABLES
And the winners are...
The Silver winner was Aqueous BioCups by BioPak.
The Gold winner was DualPakECO compostable food trays by Confoil and BASF.
About the Gold winner:
DualPakECO dual ovenable trays are made in Australia by Confoil and have been created in collaboration with BASF.
DualPakECO trays are certified compostable to Australian standard AS 4736-2006. They are made in Australia with paper coated on the inside with BASF biopolymer ecovio® PS 1606. ecovio is a partly bio-based and certified compostable biopolymer specially developed for coating food packaging made of paper or board.
The paperboard for DualPakECO can easily be formed and allows for printability. The board is lightweight yet rigid enough for in-line production facilities. It also offers secure sealing across a variety of film substrates and machinery. The coating with ecovio PS 1606 is applied in a mono-layer extrusion process. The high content of renewable raw materials leads to a reduced material carbon footprint, which allows savings of greenhouse gas emissions.
This new solution is an alternative to conventional PET packaging for ready-to-eat meals. DualPakECO trays can be used for ready-to-eat meals like lasagne, curries and stir-fries and can be used to store food cold or frozen in supermarkets as well as for catering and hot take-away from restaurants. DualPakECO food trays are ovenable for 40 minutes, up to 180 degrees and also microwavable.
The pack can extend the end-of-life options for paper-based packaging by being organically recyclable. They can be commercially composted with the organic waste collected in organic waste bins including any food scraps left in the packaging. Thus, the new trays support organics recycling of food residues and food-soiled packaging which increases the diversion of food waste from landfill. The trays carry the ‘seedling logo’ to educate consumers of their compostable quality as well as a message to dispose of in an organics bin.
DualPakECO trays go from the table to the composting facility and back to the farm to help provide nutrients for the next crop. Finding a market for any recycled material is critical to the success of a circular economy, ensuring resources retain value through the process. Composting is the ultimate in recycling as the result can be so beneficial to agriculture and viticulture, as well as the environment.
