06.09.08
Innovations in the use of renewable materials, effective recovery, energy efficiency and community benefit were factors included among sustainable achievements recognized in the 20th DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation, the industry’s longest running, independently judged global awards program. This year’s competition placed a special focus on breakthroughs in sustainability. More than 80 entries were evaluated.
At the forefront of sustainability achievements within the beauty industry, Cargo Cosmetics was one of three notables and seven winners selected by judges for its “new cosmetic applicator made entirely of a single material for easier recycling.” Whereas traditional packages might use dissimilar materials such as PET bottles with polypropylene closures, Cargo’s design overcomes the technical challenge of using a single material for surface-to-surface functionality, enabling easier recycling and the additional benefit of using PLA, a renewable polymer from NatureWorks LLC. In addition, Cargo’s PlantLove lipstick comes in a compostable outer carton embedded with wildflower seeds that can be planted in the home garden.
Cross-Fertilization
As much of the innovation for packaging comes from “cross-fertilization,” with each sector finding inspiration and creativity in others, it’s worth looking beyond beauty—to several of DuPont’s other notables and winners in this competition.
Gaplast GmbH’s AirLEssMotion Bag-in-Bottle System reduces energy usage by more than 50% during manufacturing by replacing a four-part process with a one-step process for a coextruded, blow-molded bottle bag made with DuPont Surlyn. The first polypropylene container made of 100% post-consumer recycled material, UniPak Eco, from Superfos, Denmark, uses responsibly sourced regrind material, which reduces waste and is recyclable. A new thermal process for packaging graphics, DuPont Cyrel Fast Thermal Process, from Promopak, UK, eliminates the use of solvents, leading to cleaner manufacturing. Kraft Foods, along with Plastipak Packaging, redesigned its salad dressing bottle for a nearly 19% weight reduction, resulting in improved transport efficiency and energy conservation. Jordans Cereal and Alcan Packaging were commended for a new compostable, biodegradable flexible pack that supports natural branding of the product and helps ensure effective post-use recovery through home or industrial composting.
According to DuPont, this year’s award focus on sustainable packaging reflects a growing concern by both consumers and packaged goods companies, and is a targeted area for DuPont itself. The company says that nearly 65% of packaged goods companies expect to change their packaging in the next year to reduce environmental impact.
At the forefront of sustainability achievements within the beauty industry, Cargo Cosmetics was one of three notables and seven winners selected by judges for its “new cosmetic applicator made entirely of a single material for easier recycling.” Whereas traditional packages might use dissimilar materials such as PET bottles with polypropylene closures, Cargo’s design overcomes the technical challenge of using a single material for surface-to-surface functionality, enabling easier recycling and the additional benefit of using PLA, a renewable polymer from NatureWorks LLC. In addition, Cargo’s PlantLove lipstick comes in a compostable outer carton embedded with wildflower seeds that can be planted in the home garden.
Cross-Fertilization
As much of the innovation for packaging comes from “cross-fertilization,” with each sector finding inspiration and creativity in others, it’s worth looking beyond beauty—to several of DuPont’s other notables and winners in this competition.
Gaplast GmbH’s AirLEssMotion Bag-in-Bottle System reduces energy usage by more than 50% during manufacturing by replacing a four-part process with a one-step process for a coextruded, blow-molded bottle bag made with DuPont Surlyn. The first polypropylene container made of 100% post-consumer recycled material, UniPak Eco, from Superfos, Denmark, uses responsibly sourced regrind material, which reduces waste and is recyclable. A new thermal process for packaging graphics, DuPont Cyrel Fast Thermal Process, from Promopak, UK, eliminates the use of solvents, leading to cleaner manufacturing. Kraft Foods, along with Plastipak Packaging, redesigned its salad dressing bottle for a nearly 19% weight reduction, resulting in improved transport efficiency and energy conservation. Jordans Cereal and Alcan Packaging were commended for a new compostable, biodegradable flexible pack that supports natural branding of the product and helps ensure effective post-use recovery through home or industrial composting.
According to DuPont, this year’s award focus on sustainable packaging reflects a growing concern by both consumers and packaged goods companies, and is a targeted area for DuPont itself. The company says that nearly 65% of packaged goods companies expect to change their packaging in the next year to reduce environmental impact.