Lisa McTigue Pierce, Executive Editor

March 11, 2017

10 Min Read
19 award-winning flexible packages trumpet holistic solutions

Amidst the glitz and glamour of the 2017 Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards gala, what really sparkled were the technical and design innovations on display, including several “firsts” in their markets. Nineteen packages earned awards in five categories—Packaging Excellence, Sustainability, Printing and Shelf Impact, Extending the Use of Flexible Packaging and Technical Innovation—along with one outstanding entry recognized as the Highest Achievement Award winner.

This is the 61st annual competition of the Flexible Packaging Assn. The organization presented the honors at its annual meeting on Wed., Mar. 1, in Boca Raton, FL.

Lead judge Michael Richmond, vp, packaging consulting solutions at HAVI, touted, “This is a year of more…there’s more innovation, there’s more sustainability, there’s more non-food, there are more holistic solutions.”

Richmond was one of three judges this year, along with Eric Fish, editor in chief of Flexible Packaging magazine, and Robert Kimmel, associate professor and director, Center for Flexible Packaging (CEFPACK), at Clemson University.

The winners are presented here, first the Highest Achievement Award victor, then the Gold Award winners and, lastly, Silver Award recipients. For more details, visit the awards section of the FPA website.

Page 1. Hunt’s Recipe Ready tomato paste pouch

Page 2. Amcor’s Fortis medical breather bag

Page 3. Cape Cod “Bags of Cash” promotional package

Page 4. Clinic Plus Strong & Long Health Shampoo pouch

Page 5. Nudges Grillers Dog Treats pouch

Page 6. Shaker Bag

Page 7. Waterless Internet flower packaging

Page 8. Banquet Dino-Shaped Chicken Nuggets package

Page 9. CAF's "ORUS" Squeegee Bucket Solution box pouch

Page 10. Cryovac Sealappeal OSF AW ovenable bag for whole birds

Page 11. FormFoil Lite suture package

Page 12. gather Free Acres Adult Canine Diet pouch

Page 13. General Mills Totino’s pizza overwrap

Page 14. Hershey’s Twizzlers with FreshPak reclosable bag

Page 15. hth Showpack pool chemical pouch

Page 16. NFI/UPM Pharmaceuticals’ Lidocare Pain Relief Patch pouch

Page 17. Redken Heatcure At-Home Self-Heating Mask sachet

Page 18. Smart Mix Pro pouch

Page 19. Starbucks Mexico Chiapas coffee bag

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1. Hunt’s Recipe Ready tomato paste pouch

Cooks will certainly appreciate how Hunt’s Recipe Ready tomato paste pouch replaces the 6-oz can for a convenient and mess-free portioned pack. Produced by Bemis Co., the barrier film pouch opens easily, holds two tablespoons of paste and delivers a one year shelf life.

This Highest Achievement Award winner also won four other awards:

Gold in the Extending the Use of Flexible Packaging category.

Gold in Packaging Excellence.

Gold in Sustainability.

Silver in Printing and Shelf Impact.

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2. Amcor’s Fortis medical breather bag

Winning a Gold award for Technical Innovation, the patent-pending Fortis Medical Breather bag from Amcor Flexibles is stronger and more abuse resistant than before, to improve the performance of sterilized medical products used in operating rooms and other healthcare environments. It also minimizes its impact on the environment by reducing the size of the uncoated Tyvek header. The package also improves the user’s experience by being easy to open with its peelable seal.

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3. Cape Cod “Bags of Cash” promotional package

Printpack has earned a Gold Award for Printing and Shelf Impact for combining matte film with metallic elements for the Bags of Cash sweepstakes for Cape Cod’s kettle-cooked potato chips. The bottom half of the bag showcases a gold money pouch and dollars to catch the consumer’s attention on shelf.

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4. Clinic Plus Strong & Long Health Shampoo pouch

This cost-effective pouch mimics the shape of the shampoo’s existing rigid bottle. Produced by Paharpur 3P, the standup pouch (SUP) makes better use of space during transportation, helping the brand owner reach rural areas in India to expand its sales. A special spout allows consumers to easily dispense the product for an improved user experience, while also minimizing product waste. This package has won a Gold Award for Sustainability and a Silver Award for Extending the Use of Flexible Packaging.

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5. Nudges Grillers Dog Treats pouch

Realistic graphics coexist with a clear product window to showcase these high-end dog treats. The 5-oz SUP uses high-definition flexo printing to reproduce fine detail and soothing color scheme that encourages an emotional connection with pet owners. From American Packaging Corp., this package won a Gold Award for Printing and Shelf Impact.

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6. Shaker Bag

Need precise application of granular products? That’s the forte of the Shaker Bag from Precision Color Graphics Ltd.andSpecialty Packaging Technologies Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary. The bag, seen being used in the photo for ice melt, uses an internal metering gusset and heavy-duty handle to enhance the user’s experience. Additionally, it has a convenient recloseable zipper and stands up well for great shelf impact. It earned two Gold Awards for Packaging Excellence and Extending the Use of Flexible Packaging.

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7. Waterless Internet flower packaging

The Flexfresh Waterless Internet flower package earned the second most awards, just behind Hunt’s Highest Achievement Award winning package. It won two Gold Awards for Technical Innovation and Extending the Use of Flexible Packaging; and two Silver Awards for Packaging Excellence and Sustainability.

Produced by Flex Films (USA) Inc., this compostable film lets flowers breath in hydrated oxygen during shipping/storage, allowing the cut fauna to survive for up to five days without watering. What happens is the package releases excess humidity to “feed” the bouquet while keeping it dry to the touch. This technical achievement can eliminate millions of gallons of water currently used in the flower supply chain, for a clear sustainability win. It also offers significant savings for ecommerce and brick-and-mortar retailers by extending the life of floral gifts.

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8. Banquet Dino-Shaped Chicken Nuggets package

Now presenting the Silver Award winners…we start with Banquet’s Dino-Shaped chicken nuggets packaging, which earns a Silver Award for Printing and Shelf Impact for its multiple vignettes and gradations that achieve a continuous tone across the entire background. American Packaging Corp. printed the bag using a flexographic HD plate and printing process so the Disney Pixar graphics would pop.

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9. CAF's "ORUS" Squeegee Bucket Solution box pouch

As an alternative to rigid gallon jugs, CAF’s Orus Squeegee Bucket Solution cleaning concentrate significantly cuts production, packaging and shipping costs, while also minimizing the product’s carbon footprint and waste to the landfill. The 5.25 lb “box pouch” from Plastic Packaging Technologies LLC won a Silver Award for Sustainability.

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10. Cryovac Sealappeal OSF AW ovenable bag for whole birds

This hermetically sealed, leak-proof bag for fresh poultry goes from store to oven with no mess or fuss. Produced by Sealed Air Corp., the Cryovac Sealappeal OSF AW ovenable bag reduces the risk of cross contamination by eliminating the handling of raw poultry, ensuring food safety. The film also helps food processors reduce operating costs because of how well it runs on high-speed machinery. The judges gave this development a Silver Award for Technical Innovation.

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11. FormFoil Lite suture package

Manufacturers of medical sutures can now take advantage of a breakthrough in cold-form foil technology. An industry first, the FormFoil Lite suture package from Rollprint Packaging Products uses half the amount of aluminum foil than the traditional aluminum foil composite suture package. A 0.001-inch layer of FormFoil Lite cost effectively replaces the traditional 0.002-inch layer, without any sacrifice in formability, protection or performance. It has received two Silver Awards, in Packaging Excellence and Sustainability.

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12. gather Free Acres Adult Canine Diet pouch

This 6-lb flat-bottom pouch is made with 30% sugar cane/plant-based linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), which allows the company to receive a USDA certified bio-based product designation. gather Free Acres is the first pet food using this bio-based laminate structure in North America. The judges deemed this package from Peel Plastic Products Ltd. worthy of a Silver Award for Printing and Shelf Impact.

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13. General Mills Totino’s pizza overwrap

Another breakthrough! General Mills realized wins in sustainability, transportation costs and consumer convenience by introducing the first flow-wrapped pizza package. This transition into flexible packaging replaces the shrink film/carton package seen throughout the frozen pizza category. Flexible packaging converter Printpack has earned two Silver Awards, for Sustainability and Extending the Use of Flexible Packaging.

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14. Hershey’s Twizzlers with FreshPak reclosable bag

By replacing a zipper with the FreshPak reclosure feature from Sealstrip Corp. on 2-lb bags of Twizzlers, Hershey reduced packaging film by 43%—and became the first to use a pressure-sensitive adhesive reseal feature for flexible packaging that is compliant with the Food and Drug Administration for direct food contact. Another benefit for Hershey is that this can be produced on existing flow-wrap systems, using less energy than a zipper applicator, while also maximizing line speeds. For this achievement, Sealstrip has received a Silver Award for Technical Innovation.

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15. hth Showpack pool chemical pouch

For its hth pool chemicals, Lonza opted for flexible packaging instead of a corrugated box for a couple reasons. It wanted to really stand out in stores with a distinctive package, and it found out that the boxes fell apart over time, meaning the product would have to be repackaged at some point. The flat-bottom bag from Printpack has won a Silver Award for Extending the Use of Flexible Packaging.

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16. NFI/UPM Pharmaceuticals’ Lidocare Pain Relief Patch pouch

The high-barrier foil lamination for NFI/UPM Pharmaceuticals’ Lidocare 4% Lidocaine Pain Relief Patch uses CXB sealant from Bemis Healthcare Packaging, which provides excellent barrier for the product and minimal permeation compared to other polymer sealants. The package won a Silver Award for Technical Innovation.

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17. Redken Heatcure At-Home Self-Heating Mask sachet

Consumers can heat up this hair “mask” to the optimum temperature just prior to use simply by removing a label on the front of the sachet to expose holes. Air enters the package and automatically activates the self-heating feature inside.

The Reseal-it technology from Printpack used for the removable label, along with the company’s high-barrier metallized lamination for long shelf life of the internal heater technology, earned a Silver Award for Technical Innovation.

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18. Smart Mix Pro pouch

This pouch holds an aggressive chemical concentrate, allowing it to significantly save packaging material and costs. The product in one pouch is equivalent to four quart spray bottles of ready-to-use cleaner. Sealed Air Corp., Diversey Care, won a Silver Award in Sustainability for this development.

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19. Starbucks Mexico Chiapas coffee bag

This limited-edition offering from Starbucks really catches the eye in the store with its beautiful execution of a jaguar, an image that represents the area in Mexico where the coffee is grown: Sierra Madre de Chiapas. Printpack printed this 4-ply laminate with spot matte lacquer on a rotogravure press, earning a Silver Award in Printing and Shelf Impact.

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Learn about the latest developments in flexible packaging at the new Advanced Design & Manufacturing Cleveland event (Mar. 29-30; Cleveland, OH). Register today!

About the Author(s)

Lisa McTigue Pierce

Executive Editor, Packaging Digest

Lisa McTigue Pierce is Executive Editor of Packaging Digest. She’s been a packaging media journalist since 1982 and tracks emerging trends, new technologies, and best practices across a spectrum of markets for the publication’s global community. Reach her at [email protected] or 630-272-1774.

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