Fifty-six entries, ten winners, one special prize, and an honourable mention were the outcome of this year’s PackTheFuture Awards presented at the interpack trade fair in Düsseldorf, Germany.

For the sixth time, the German and French plastic packaging associations IK Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen (Bad Homburg; www.kunststoffverpackungen.de) and Elipso (Paris; www.elipso.org) honoured innovative and sustainable packaging solutions.

Elipso managing director Gael Bouquet said, “Less energy consumption, green energy, material supply security, eco-design of packaging, recycled and bio-based materials, development of recycling channels and a clear European regulation for packaging waste – these are the challenges of our time.”

According to organisers, the largest group in the category, Ecodesign / Design for Recycling, with 27 packaging solutions also showed that sustainable developments are becoming increasingly important for corporate strategies.

The associations announced the following winners:

adapa (Wiener Neudorf, Austria; www.adapa-group.com) for VACUshrink MEXX55, a recyclable, 55 μm polyethylene-based shrink pouch with EVOH barrier and without the usual polyamide layers or PVdC barriers.

Albéa (Gennevilliers, France; www.albea-group.com) for EcoFusion PCR ThinWall, a tube featuring weight reduction of 55% compared to similar containers on the basis of the sleeve and cap. According to the jury, the PE monomer packaging material is recyclable and contains 41% PCR.

Aptar Beauty (Crystal Lake, Illinois, USA; www.aptargroup.com) for the shower gel range from The Body Shop, with the recyclable pump, Future, a monomaterial dispenser made of PE.

Leygatech (St. Romain Lachalm, France; www.leygatech.com) for LT Clear 515R laminating film, a three-layer film where the inner PE layer is covered by EVOH inside and outside.

Profol Kunststoffe (Halfing, Germany; www.profol.com) for CPPeel polypropylene lidding film, which dispenses with solvent-based heat-sealing lacquers.

Knauf Industries (Wolfgantzen, France; www.knauf-industries.com) for Beam, a transport packaging made of expanded polypropylene (EPP) that is now reusable.

Bischof + Klein (B+K, Lengerich, Germany; www.bk-international.com) for the PE surface protection film TacFLex 900, which has a recycled content of up to 30%.

Sleever (Morangis, France; www.sleever.com) for the LDPET White Barrier, a low-density PET shrink film; its light barrier function is also said to enable a longer shelf life for beverages and dairy products.

Bericap (Budenheim, Germany; www.bericap.com) for easyconnect, the special closure for liquid crop protection products consists of two components, a cap mounted on the containers and a coupling piece.

Bischof + Klein for U-Pack FFS, a prefabricated FFS film with reclosure systems and carrying handles.

Sidel (Octeville-sur-Mer, France; www.sidel.com) for 1Skin, a 1-l container made of recycled PET that does not require a label.

Peku Folien (Neumarkt, Germany; www.peku.com) for a PE drawstring bag in which the drawstring is made of the same plastic.