10 winners announced for the PackTheFuture Award 2017
The ceremony for the 3rd “PackTheFuture – The Sustainable Plastic Packaging Awards”, organised by ELIPSO and IK, the trade organisations representing plastic & flexible packaging in France and Germany, has taken place in Düsseldorf at Interpack, the unmissable event for the packaging sector.
For the 3rd PackTheFuture, a competition that is now a European benchmark in the plastic and flexible packaging sector, 37 entries were received from Austrian, French, German, Italian and Spanish firms, reflecting the sector’s dynamism and innovation capability.
Once again, the competition attests to the responsible processes developed by the plastic & flexible packaging industry. Almost half of all entries were in the Ecodesign category
(recyclability, reduction at source, weight reduction), underscoring this major trend.
Social benefits are also a core concern for the sector’s companies. Many innovations in the
contest focus on ease of opening, a crucial feature in a society with more and more elderly
people.
This year PackTheFuture has a new Save Food category, a major subject at the Interpack show. Plastic & flexible packaging delivers ideal solutions that keep food fresher for longer.
ELIPSO and IK’s managers were very satisfied with the quality of entries and the diversity of innovations. They intend to keep up their cooperation and announce the 4th PackTheFuture competition, to be held in autumn 2018.
ECODESIGN CATEGORY
An environmentally-friendly innovation throughout the product’s lifecycle, through the choice of raw materials, its manufacture and its transport, its functionality and its end of life.
ALPLA. The HDPE bottles produced in extrusion blow molding technology consist of 100 % recycled material that is obtained out of the Yellow Bag fraction. The bottles are filled with cleaning agents for the Professional Supply (B2B) and for the Home Care (FMCG) markets. The particularity of this process is that grades of translucent and white material of the Yellow Bag weren’t available up to now. Conventional PE-recycling material grades did not fulfill these requirements. Even handle bottles with far more ambitious stability properties can now be manufactured with 100 % recycled material: an outstanding pioneer work
in favour of real cycles and protection of limited resources; and this by keeping the desired identical presentation versus bottles made of virgin material.
Particularity:
• For the first time made of 100 % recycled
material from the Yellow Bag (post-consumer
recycled materials)
• Avoiding haze by using colourless and white
fractions (special logistics / tight co-operation
with DSD)
• Maintaining the familiar appearance, quality
impression and brand image without reducing
product safety Since September 2016, the first bottles produced in this grade are on the German market, designated for the Werner & Mertz products of Emsal floor care and the Tana GreenCare Professional® range.
Target sector: Fast Moving Consumer Goods
(FMCG) – Cleaning agents for the professional
supply (floors, surfaces) and home care markets
COVERIS. Optys: a 100 % decorated bottle manufactured on-site, using no label or sleeve. Developed by Coveris (rigid plastic packaging manufacturer) and Serac (packaging machine manufacturer) with environment in mind to reduce the carbon footprint of consumer sales units.
Manufacturing process and benefits:
• The bottle is produced in a single stage by
vertical thermoforming of a Coveris pre-printed
PP sheet on Serac’s Agami machine.
• The plastic sheet can include a light or oxygen
barrier, and show different colors on each side.
• The artwork can cover the entire bottle, from
the bottom up to the top of the neck.
• The Agami thermoforming process is more
simple and requires less energy than extrusion
or injection blow moulding.
Environmental benefits:
• Significant carbon footprint reduction on
transportation.
• Removal of one packaging component (label or
sleeve).
• Reduction of water and chemical products
consumption (no chemical decontamination
needed for ultra-clean applications).
• Reduction of bottle’s weight. Optys is the first decorated bottle that can be
produced in one step at such a pace (10 000 bph) and with such a decorated surface.
Target sector: Food, Homecare, Personal care
FEURER. To make sure that hazardous substances arrive at their destination safely and at a low cost: FEURER developed the world’s first EPS hazardous goods packaging without a covering box. The hazardous goods packaging of category X for goods in the packaging group It offers several advantages:
1. Approval of the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM): Trust the strict testing criteria of the BAM – for the production process and for the hazardous goods packaging. Thus cooled hazardous substances at +2 °C to +8 °C and at -20 °C arrive at the destination safely. Namely by parcel shipping within 72 hours worldwide.
2. Just only one material: With its high shock
strength, airpop® eliminates the cardboard additional packaging that was previously used. This speeds up the packaging process and reduces the shipping volume. Since airpop® is made of ultralight, recyclable EPS, the costs for shipping and disposal are also reduced.
3. Modular system: The base, extension rings and cover can be easily connected together
and flexibly adjust to the transported goods. The space for products and coolant can thus be adjusted up to a height of 600 mm.
It is a real win for the pharmaceutical industry, biotechnology, chemical shipping, laboratories and everyone who ships hazardous substances.
Target sector: Pharma industry, biotechnology, chemicals shipping, labs and everyone shipping hazardous substances
SEALED AIR. Cryovac® Sealappeal® PSF zal is a highly peelable shrink film with unique sealing layer designed for ready-to-eat products tray lidding or thermoforming
applications. It offers outstanding transparency, and hermeticity allied to an unrivalled
peelability. By making the opening the easiest thing, this film addresses the frustration number 1 of the consumer facing their food package. Additionally it offers a perfect transparent, winkle-free package with a wonderful drum effect.
Designed with sustainability in mind, the wide
low temperature sealing window (110 °C to
180 °C) keeps delivering consistent peelability,
sealing strength and tearing free while reducing energy consumption during the production. Additionally moving film structure from APET/PE to PET film allowed us to decrease film weight versus market standards. This results not only in longer rolls allowing longer production runs and less volume occupation at customer level but also in less green fees and disposal costs thanks to lighter material.
Sealappeal® PSF zal provides strong seal through heavy contamination and excellent tear resistance. The one-piece-peal features allow relidding on same trays if there is a production issue – reducing therefore material wastage.
Target sector: Fresh-cut, prepared salads, desserts, diced cheeses etc.
PRODUCT PROTECTION CATEGORY
An innovation that improves protection of contents from filling/manufactory through to end user.
KNAUF INDUSTRIES. Knauf Industries has developed and is manufacturing this new industrial packaging for fire hydrants for Bayard. 
The protection is eco-designed, delivering the same protection and resistance functions as the previous, wooden protection but with lower environmental impact. It is made from airpop® and is 7 times lighter than the former packaging (2kg instead of 15kg). It is 100 % recyclable by crushing, compacting PS granule extrusion.
This multi-product packaging is designed to protect 4 different models of hydrants, so there is no need to manage several packaging references. It is customised with the Bayard logo and shows the reference of the packed hydrant. The pack is also easier to implement. It has enabled Bayard to automate its production lines, particularly by eliminating “hazardous” handling operations. On the operating side, hooking the hydrants up to the water grid is easier as installers can see how the hydrant is positioned. The packaging also saves labour costs in the production and installation process.
This industrial protection is for water grids and fire protection.
Target sector: Water grids and fire protection
SOCIAL BENEFIT CATEGORY
An innovation that meets the new consumption trends and habits of today’s users and customers, or the new consumption modes of target groups such as children, the elderly and families. It can also include a benefit to society.
DEISS. UNNIVERSAL PLUS bin liners combine three benefits in one product: More efficient due to the sleeve with perforated opening: A sleeve carries important information and protects the roll of bin liners. But every time a new roll is opened, the sleeve has to be removed. This can often be tricky or time-consuming because the sleeves are stuck together. The innovative perforated opening of the UNIVERSAL PLUS sleeve opens easily when the ends are twisted in opposite directions. The two parts of the paper wrapping can then be pulled off from the roll quickly and conveniently – an advantage for efficiency.
More efficient due to the fast and simple Easy Opener: All UNIVERSAL PLUS bin liners feature the protected Easy Opening function. They help to open the individual bin liners quickly and easily without allowing the layers to stick to one another.
Even safer due to the improved material quality: A specific mix of raw materials and a special manufacturing method make this special film significantly more tear- and puncture-resistant than conventional PE-HD materials of the same thickness. The improved
technical properties of the material are a PLUS in reliable performance.
Target sector: Contact cleaning, hospitals and nursing homes, restaurants, hotels, catering, manual trade and industry.
FLEXICO. Children protection: In France, around 15 000 children a year are being poisoned by swallowing harmful substances like detergents. In the US, poisoning is 5 times higher. This major public health concern affects mainly industrialized
countries and primarily children aged under 6. This concerning situation led us to develop a packaging to keep children safe. At Flexico we believe that packaging has a key role to play to prevent accidents. Appropriate packaging can prevent dangerous situations. 
This solution is the first child resistant closure available for flexible packaging on the European market. The innovation consists in the impossibility for a child to open the packaging and to access the content. A second of inattention is enough for an accident to happen and the damages caused by poisoning are often irreversible (abdominal & respiratory burning, skin burn, coma …). Thanks to Sensogrip Kids, thousands of lives could be spared and parents can finally get peace of mind. Consumer experience: the tactile and sound effect guarantees to the customer that the bag is closed properly.
Easy & quick industrial implementation: cost effective investment.
Target sector: Detergents, laundry & dishwashing tabs, fertilizer, cosmetic, roll up tobacco,
battery, medical & pharma.
KISICO. The innovative NFCap features a NFC-Chip that is fully integrated in the cap, tamper-free and invisible from the outside, permitting contactless communication with every NFC-enabled smartphone.
A wide array of information can be stored on
the chip. Relevant applications ensure product
protection by, e.g., verifying the authenticity of the product or certifying the best used by date.
Product data sheets and handling instructions
provide the end user with essential information for safe product usage. In addition, technology- savvy audiences will use this to access information stored on the tag such as links to websites or other specifically developed apps. Since the NFC tag is integrated into the cap, it cannot be removed without destroying the cap.
The chip is not visible from the outside, so the
caps retain their design, thus avoiding the need
for unattractive QR codes. NFC technology can be integrated into most of the KISICO standard products, so no further costs for new injection molding tools or tool adjustments arise. The chip never comes in contact with the bottle contents, representing an additional advantage especially for food, chemical or pharma industries.
Target sector: Producers and brand owners of high priced products in danger of being counterfeited. Producers and brand owners that want to deliver a unique customer experience.
SEALED AIR. Cryovac® Oven Ease® is designed for dual heat treatments – it is suitable for in-pack cooking, pasteurisation and sterilisation at the processor and cooking or reheating by the end user in a wide variety of ovens (conventional, steam or microwave). The material can be used at wide temperature limits and is approved for cooking
at up to 200°C and freezing up to -25°C. 
The solution is suitable for all types of foods offering no reduction factor and sealing through contamination, which makes it ideal for foods with oil marinades. The hermetic, leak and abuse resistant seal protects the product at all stages of cooking and distribution. The current market trend is characterised by premium ready-to-eat food products to enjoy at home as an alternative to restaurants. Quality, gourmet taste, easy and fast cooking are the most valued priorities for consumers, as well as an environmental-friendly product.
Cryovac Oven Ease solutions deliver all-round convenience to food processors. The wide variety of applications (shrink bags, thermoforming and vacuum skin), which can be used on existing equipment, allows them to turn commodity to added value products without additional capital investments.
Target sector: Cook-from-raw or pre-cooked, chilled or frozen proteins (meat, fish, poultry) and convenience food for retail and food service.
SAVE FOOD CATEGORY
An innovative packaging that minimises food losses and food waste, extends
shelf life and improves the supply of food.
SCHAUMAPLAST. A reusable hybrid-insulation box, perfect for thermo-sensitive logistics (passive cooling). Outstanding insulation characteristics by a combination of EPP and a 360 degree all-round insulation of high-performance vacuum-insulation panels.
Excellent transport protection and persistence in the reusable market by use of EPP as base material. Very good hygiene properties and cleanability due to a complete plastic trim inside of the box.
Some facts:
• thermal conductivity of the vacuum-insulation
panels: lower than 0,005 W/m*K (thermal transmission coefficient U: 0,35 W/m2K)
• An illustration (exemplary test under real and laboratory conditions): By use of 4 cooling
elements (prechilled, -18 Celsius) it is possible
to keep a default temperature limit of 8 celsius over a time period of 6.5 days!
• perfect for thermo-sensitive transports, such as premium-quality fresh food, vaccine or blood preservation
• the superb insulation characteristics can be
used for the transport of preheated goods likewise
• outer dimension: 755 x 464 x 382 mm
• inner dimension (usable measurement): 640 x 350 x 285 mm
• usable volume: 64 liters
• further boxes with other dimensions will follow
Target sector: Food, pharmaceutics, thermosensitive logistics
A European trophy to spotlight innovations by plastic & flexible packaging firms
The European competition aims to promote the creative, innovative potential of the plastic & flexible packaging sector. Under a sustainable development rationale, these forms offer users new packaging solutions that are efficient, attractive and environmentally-friendly.
