DuPont announces winners of 2014 DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation; Unilever receives top honor for line of compressed deodorant containers that carry same amount of product in package half the size of the original

Elyse Blye

WILMINGTON, Delaware , May 16, 2014 (press release) – DuPont presented 16 awards recognizing packaging excellence at last night’s 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.

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.

This year, Unilever (United Kingdom) took the Diamond Award top honor for its line of compressed deodorants. The international panel of judges recognized 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 J. 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.”

Several winning entries used DuPont products, such as DuPont™ Bynel® tie layer resin and DuPont™ Mylar® films.

WINNER’S UNVEILED

DIAMOND WINNER

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

Unilever’s revolutionary compressed aerosol deodorant cans benefit the consumers, environment, and retailers. The smaller cans – which contain the same amount of product and offer consumers the same amount of protection as the previous cans – mark the first major packaging reduction initiative for aerosol deodorants since they were introduced in the 1960s. These cans feature a re-engineered spray system that uses a reduced amount of propellants to deliver the same amount of deodorant with each spray. Typically, a reduction in propellants would result in increased blockage and decreased performance. However, the new spray system allows the smaller cans to work just as well and last as long as the previous cans but with improved environmental impact.

The compressed cans are convenient and portable for use on the go. The new size of the cans (75ml) meets airport regulations, allowing the deodorant to be carried onto planes. Despite containing the same amount of product as before, the compressed deodorant cans are now considered “travel-sized.” The new spray system also offers a softer spray, further enhancing the consumer appeal.

These cans are also more environmentally friendly. They use on average 25 percent less aluminum and 50% less gas per can. The smaller packaging also reduces transport requirements throughout the supply chain, including being able to store up to 53 percent more cases per pallet which enables up to 35 percent reduction of delivery trucks on the road. The number of cans that can be placed on store shelves can increase by as much as 45 percent.

Won for Technological Advancement, Responsibility, and Enhanced User Experience

GOLD WINNERS

• Cardboard-Pouch Enables Fresh, Easy-Squeeze Pasta in Minutes (VerDeSoft – Packaging Design and Technology – Germany; Contributors: Frizle AG; ALB-GOLD Teigwaren GmbH; Martin Spiegel Kartonagenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG – Germany)

Preparing and cooking fresh pasta in minutes is now possible with VerDeSoft’s cardboard-dosing pouch filled with semi-fluid pasta dough. Consumers prepare the pasta by tearing the bottom label and squeezing the dough into a pot of boiling water. One to two minutes later, the fresh pasta can be served.

Cardboard provides the stability needed to withstand the pressure of squeezing the pasta through the dosing cuts. An inner layer of film acts as a barrier and is sealed/welded to the pouch.

This holistic approach of integrating the product and package creates a unique user experience enabling anyone to cook fresh pasta without creating a mess in the kitchen.

Won for Technological Advancement and Enhanced User Experience

• Smart Dosing Cap Eliminates Product Waste with Single-Squeeze Dosing (P&G – Belgium, Brussels, Singapore and Switzerland; Contributors: P&G Fabric & Home Care Center – Belgium, Singapore, Switzerland and USA)

P&G’s liquid cleaner bottles feature an innovative, smart dosing (auto-stop) cap that is the smallest dosing system on the global market. The smart-dosing cap uses a timer mechanism activated by one squeeze of the bottle, which dispenses the product and, at the same time, moves a small piston forward that cleanly shuts off the flow when the prescribed dose has been dispensed. This dose has been adapted by P&G across their product lines to vary between 5 and 50ml with very high accuracy. The cap consists of four plastic parts and can be manufactured at very low cost. Most dosing systems on the market are larger, costlier, and made of multiple materials.

The smart-cap enables improved control and better use of the cleaning product. Consumers will always get the same pre-measured amount of liquid cleaner. Previously, consumers either poured the cleaner directly from the bottle without measuring or used a non-controlled dosing cap, which often led to using more product than needed.

Won for Technological Advancement and Enhanced User Experience

• Innovative Printing Technology Prints Directly on Rigid Containers (Plastipak Packaging, Inc. – USA; Contributor: Procter & Gamble - USA)

Plastipak’s Direct Object Printing is an innovative solution for printing ink directly onto a package. This technology eliminates the need for label substrates, reducing labels and glue from landfills and recycling streams and simplifying the supply chain. This environmentally-friendly process offers print-on-demand with unlimited graphic design capabilities. Speed to market is increased because printing plates and drums are not required. Manufacturing flexibility is increased because the system can print on different bottle sizes and shapes and can even print on the shoulder of any plastic container or print full-panel graphics.

The carbon footprint associated with manufacturing and transporting labels, glue and raw material components is avoided. Additionally, the UV ink used in printing is environmentally friendly with no VOC (volatile organic compounds).

Won for Technological Advancement and Responsible Packaging

• Separable Pouch for Multiple Marinades Simplifies Home Cooking (Amcor Flexibles – Huizhou, China and Singapore; Contributors: Nestlé Australia Limited – MAGGI Stir-fry Creations)

Consumers can prepare home meals using two separate paste mixes at different points in preparation with Amcor Flexibles’ plastic separable pouch. The package contains two separate pouches that are co-joined by an easy-tear dotted line. Made by a smart mold in the bag-making machine, the technology advancement is the clean, simple separation of the two pouches. The packaging allows consumers to reduce the complexity of using many ingredients over a number of steps, but still create an authentic stir fry flavor. Amcor Flexibles’ two-pouch solution drives brand differentiation and meets the consumer desire for a more adventurous cooking experience with an easy-to-use, simple, convenient packaging solution.

Won for Technological Advancement and Enhanced User Experience

• Film Pouch Brings Shelf-Stable Milk to India (Parakh Agro Industries, Ltd. – India; Contributors: Elecster – Finland and ISF Industries – India)

For the first time in India, UHT (ultrahigh temperature processed) milk is now packed in a flexible pouch that has a shelf life of 90 days. Parakh Agro Industries’ UHT milk pouch uses a five-layer EVOH-based film made with DuPont™ Bynel® 4109 tie layer resin. No refrigeration is required until it is opened, and there is no need to boil the milk before it is consumed. The milk is sterilized at a high temperature and packed in aseptic conditions. Aseptic fill and processing in that region does the job of protecting the product. The cost of unit pack per liter is significantly lower than traditional aseptic packaging. The fact that this package does not require refrigeration also results in cost savings.

The Elecster (Finland) UHT Milk technology enhances user experience by providing milk to a large population that would otherwise not have access to it. Additionally, the longer shelf life provides an advantage to consumers in India who do not have refrigeration.

Won for Responsible Packaging and Enhanced User Experience

• Green Water Cooler Bottle Made from 100 percent Recycled Material (Ice River Springs Water Company, Inc. – USA and Canada)

Ice River Springs Water Company is the only beverage company in North America to collect and process curbside-collected polyethylene terephthalate (PET) packaging and convert it back into food-grade PET to make its own water bottles.

Both clear and green PET packaging are collected and recycled by Ice River Springs. Traditionally, the green material was either “down-cycled” into strapping applications or ended up in landfills. With the innovation of the 15L Arrowhead 100 percent recycled PET bottle, Ice River Springs can now recover and re-use an impressive 100 percent of the green PET packaging it collects through its closed-loop recycling system at its own plastics recycling plant.

As a result of their unique processing methods and the conversion to recycled PET, Ice River Springs reduced raw-material energy consumption by up to 84 percent and raw-material greenhouse gas emissions by up to 78 percent as compared to using virgin PET.

Won for Responsible Packaging

• Honey Pot Shows How to ‘Bee’ More Responsible (Betamiel – Morocco)

Inspired by the natural environment of honey, Betamiel created honey pots made of beeswax leftover from honey harvesting. This shatter-resistant, natural honey pot offers great protection to its contents during its service life and can be used in a variety of ways once the honey is gone. The Betamiel honey pots serve as a catalyst to inspire people to use waste material to create packaging.

Won for Responsible Packaging

• Stand-Up Retort Pouch Transforms the Latin American Food-Service Industry (Bemis – Brazil; Contributor: Tradbor - Brazil)

Fugini Vegetables Stand-up Pouch is the first commercial retort flexible packaging in the food service industry in Brazil. The stand-up, retort pouch from Bemis offers great product protection, ensuring the same outstanding quality, while being simpler to handle, easier to open, and faster to heat. In an industry once dependent on rigid cans to maintain product quality, this flexible pouch represents a major shift to allow an increase in user convenience and safety.

Won for Enhanced User Experience

• Infini Bottle Takes Lightweighting to a Whole New Level (Nampak Plastics - United Kingdom; Contributor: Velocity - USA)

Plastic bottles had typically been lightweighted by simply using less material. However, there is a limit to how thin the bottle walls can be while maintaining bottle strength. Nampak Plastics has developed Infini which is an innovative and lightweight range of high density polyethylene (HDPE) milk bottles, with over 500 million sold into the UK dairy industry. It has resulted in the world's lightest 4pint (2.27L) 32 gram bottle, which contains up to 20% less material and up to 30% recycled HDPE. Nampak is the leading supplier of HDPE bottles to the dairy & juice industries and, based on Infini being the bottle of choice, it can save the UK milk packaging industry 30,000 tons of resin per annum, and could further reduce carbon footprint up to 30% with recycled HDPE. Infini will also be manufactured under license for the Australian & New Zealand markets in 2014, and discussions are in progress with licensing partners in US/European/Asian/African markets for liquid dairy and non-dairy bottle packaging applications.

Won for Responsible Packaging

• Microwaveable Sandwich Pouch Keeps Bread Moist During Heating (Curwood – USA; Contributor: Hillshire Brands – USA)

The Hillshire Brands Heat Fresh™ horizontal form-fill-seal package keeps bread soft and moist, while heating the rest of the sandwich evenly and thoroughly in the original package. Curwood combined two proprietary technologies in a unique way to optimally control moisture, heat and pressure in the package during microwave heating. The package consists of a non-woven film laminate with moisture-absorbing properties at the base and a nylon-based forming film with unique moisture control properties at the top. The two webs essentially create a moisture-equilibrating “steam dome” that allows for efficient use of steam while excess steam is absorbed.

During heating, moisture created by the heat cycle rises to the top of the package, rolls down the sides and is absorbed by the non-forming film, eliminating the problems of soggy or cardboard-like bread. At the same time, pressure is created within the package to drive heat into the sandwich core for controlled, even heating of meats, cheeses, and other sandwich components.

Won for Technological Advancement

• Peanut Package Combines Rigid Functionalities with Flexible Savings (Clear Lam Packaging, Inc. – USA; Contributors: John B. Sanfilippo and Son, Inc. – USA; Spear Systems – USA)

The PrimaPak™ package is a flexible, recloseable “pop-up box” made from a single roll of flexible film and enhanced with an outer label that adds vertical strength and rigidity. Clear Lam Packaging combined all the components of the finished package onto one roll of film, eliminating the need for pre-formed bases, lids, labels, and shrink-banding that goes into the assembly of today’s bulky rigid packaging.

The PrimaPak™ package eliminates millions of pounds of packaging waste compared to rigid packaging. The stackable package increases shelf utilization by up to 30 percent compared to round composite cans or blow molded polyethylene terephthalate (PET) jars. PrimaPak™ package also enables fuel savings during transport, saves warehouse space and reduces greenhouse gas emissions throughout the entire supply chain.

Won for Responsible Packaging

• Roast-In-The-Bag Chicken Package Minimizes Safety Risks, Maximizes Consumer Convenience (FFP Packaging Solutions Ltd. – United Kingdom; Contributors: Faccenda, ASDA and ULMA spa – United Kingdom)

Many consumers lack knowledge of handling raw meat, as demonstrated by the large amount of government sponsored information about meat safety. FFP Packaging Solutions developed a roast-in-the-bag chicken package that addresses this issue. The package, a large polyester flow wrap sealed with heat-seal polyester, allows a whole chicken to be roasted in its retail package so consumers can place it straight in the oven without having to touch the raw meat. It retains all moisture within the package and allows the inside of the oven to remain clean.

Won for Enhanced User Experience

• Snap-Top Package Ensures Freshness for Mexican Deli Meat (Sigma Alimentos – Mexico; Contributors: Sigma Alimentos (R&D, Marketing, and Processing Departments); Multivac and Winpak - Mexico)

New for the Mexican market, the San Rafael ham package keeps ham fresh throughout multiple uses. The recloseable package from Sigma Alimentos features a snap top that gives an audible click when the top is secure, reassuring consumers that the lid is in place to keep the meat fresh and free from contamination. This easy-to-open package also makes the product more accessible to consumers.

Won for Enhanced User Experience

• Soup Packet Optimized for Extended Shelf Life and Environmental Savings (Mondi – Austria; Contributors: Mondi Coatings GmbH ; Mondi Coating Zeltweg GmbH – Austria; Afripack Group – South Africa)

Delivering soup to parts of Africa that don’t have established distribution channels requires packaging solutions that extend shelf life. The new Mondi soup packet replaces aluminum foil with a co-extruded paper laminate and tailored barrier properties that protects the contents guarantees high shelf life. The Mondi soup packet also uses a special sealing polymer that allows sealing temperatures to be significantly reduced, resulting in much lower energy use and higher efficiency on the filling lines. The elimination of the aluminum layer also allows the use of metal detection to ensure product safety.

Won for Responsible Packaging

• Gatorade Bottle Gets Lighter But Stronger (Pepsico – USA; Contributors: Stress Engineering and Tether – USA)

Pepsico has optimized the 28-ounce Gatorade bottle to be the lightest weight possible, while also being significantly stronger. In addition, using new roll-fed film label technology to shrink the labels onto the bottles eliminates adhesives and simulates direct printing. This form-fitting label eliminates water being trapped between the label and the bottle.

This bottle is 13 percent lighter and 25 percent stronger than the previous bottle. The hot-fill bottle features a vacuum panel in the base, rather than the sides, and a series of structural ribs that prevent deformation during and after the hot-filling process. The significant increase in bottle strength allowed Pepsico to move from shipping the bottles fully enclosed in corrugated bliss cases to shrink-wrapped trays, which enabled a 50 percent reduction of corrugated materials used for delivery.

Won for Responsible Packaging

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