Graham Packaging improved upon an old but fundamentally strong package-reuse idea to win this award. The basis of the project is a line of returnable, refillable PET containers that Graham and a leading beverage producer originally developed in 1987. With one small packaging design change, Graham has driven the average number of reuse cycles for REFPET containers from 17 to 25.

REFPET Generation III containers overcome a scuffing problem that made the original bottles less visually appealing to consumers and kept the bottles from being reused as often as they could have been. The redesigned bottles have been in commercial use in Mexico since July 2019.

The key package design change is a texturized surface, which looks like bubbles, on areas of the bottles that tend to scuff during repeated shipping cycles. Scuffing actually makes the bubbles more attractive — they take on a frosted appearance. Thus, an aesthetic deficit is transformed into an advantage.

The redesigned bottles, available in sizes from 250 milliliters to 3 liters, are decorated with permanent labels made using post-consumer recycled material. Graham’s calculations indicate that REFPET bottles can reduce carbon footprint by more than 70% vs. nonreturnable PET bottles.