On Wednesday 13 September 2023, the industry assembled at the German Packaging Institute (dvi)’s invitation in the “Meistersaal” historic concert hall in Berlin for the presentation of the German Packaging Awards 2023. During the celebrations, the winners of the Gold Awards were also announced, where the jury further honours four particularly ground-breaking innovations from among the already successful winners: an aluminium packaging for solid care cosmetics by Aroma Elite Naturkosmetik Manufaktur, a machine for producing sustainable packaging from common paper production fibres and other natural fibres by Kiefel GmbH, a recyclable mono-PE stand-up pouch with outstanding oxygen barrier and deinking features by Siegwerk and an innovative battery packaging with storage and separation system for full and dead batteries by student Leonie Theurer from HTWK Leipzig.
On the stroke of 12 noon, the gates of the “Meistersaal” historic concert hall opened to its guests with a champagne reception for the German Packaging Award 2023 ceremony and the announcement of the Gold Awards. dvi managing directors Kim Cheng and Winfried Batzke welcomed 150 executives and innovation managers to the 60th anniversary of the largest showcase for packaging in Europe.
Grand stage for grand performances
The dvi had already announced the winners of this year’s German Packaging Award in August. Representatives of the winning companies now received their certificate and the newly designed winner’s trophy at this celebratory event, which was moderated by Matthias Mahr, editor of Lebensmittel Praxis.
“It became abundantly clear during the two-day jury meeting at the premises of our premium partner igepa Group in July that our industry’s highly innovative companies will not be held back by all the global crises and challenges they are faced with,” says dvi Managing Director Kim Cheng. “The industry is pulling out all the stops to find clever, creative and intelligent solutions across all materials, segments and applications. Our jury faced the near-impossible task of identifying the best of the year from the large number of extremely impressive new solutions. In the end, 34 particularly impressive innovations prevailed in ten categories. The four Gold Awards now put the crown on the German Packaging Award 2023,” says Cheng.
Gold Awards crown the event
This year the jury of the German Packaging Award also honoured four innovations that stood out even from this illustrious circle of packaging award winners with their Gold Awards.
Gold for Aroma Elite Combi Box
The Aroma Elite Combi Box by Aroma Elite Naturkosmetik Manufaktur is an aluminium packaging for solid care cosmetics, where the packaging becomes part of the product. The jury praised the innovative solution for storing, protecting and applying solid soaps and the ingenious way the base can be moved, allowing the interior to adapt to the size of the product. Furthermore, the breathable lid acts as a base when using the soap. The attractive design also strengthens the positive perception of the brand.
Gold for NATUREFORMER KFT 90
The advanced version of the NATUREFORMER KFT 90 from Kiefel GmbH, a machine for the production of sustainable packaging from common fibres from paper production and other natural fibres, received the Gold Award 2023. The jury concluded that the technology and, above all, the current technical process enables packaging materials to be produced which, in terms of quality features such as shape variety, accuracy, stability and surface quality, open up the most diverse areas of application for natural fibre-based moulded parts in attractive packaging. Above all, the holistic design has particular advantages which can be used for a wide range of raw materials from stock preparation to finished packaging. Functions such as resealability or labelling can also be effectively integrated.
Gold for the recyclable mono-PE stand-up pouch
The stand-up pouch with outstanding oxygen barrier and de-inking features for paint and coating removal from Siegwerk Group Holding AG & Co. KG was developed as part of a collaboration between five partner companies along the value chain. The bag uses a printable barrier coating and is suitable as packaging for a wide range of demanding products. The use of an appropriate primer allows the laminate structure to be delaminated and deinked, meaning that the packaging can be recycled into almost colourless PE granulate. As a result, the granulate is also available for a wide range of applications that require a higher recyclate quality.
Gold for the BattPack
Leonie Theurer, a student at HTWK Leipzig, also received a Gold Award. The jury honoured this outstanding innovation which was submitted in the young talent category and sponsored by premium partner FACHPACK. The jury considered the folding box for batteries a simple, extremely smart and innovative solution for storing and separating full and dead batteries. A simple printed divider in the box makes it easy to sort into full and dead batteries. The printed scale on the box helps to keep track of the number. Jury’s conclusion: this student design is simple, cost-effective and can be easily integrated into existing processes.
Conclusion and outlook
After all award winners and Gold Award winners had been presented with their trophies and certificates, the industry representatives found time to exchange ideas, reaffirm old contacts and make new ones at our flying buffet. “We look to the future solemnly but nevertheless with optimism. As long as the innovative power and creativity of our companies has the freedom to unfold and not get worn down by regulatory micromanagement, we can build on the outstanding minds and talents of the industry for the benefit of people, the economy, the climate and the environment,” Kim Cheng concluded. The German Packaging Award 2024 will be no better proof of this. The dvi emphasises that the submission phase will start in February next year.
