Winners announced for 2019 Australasian Packaging Innovation & Design Awards

06 May 2019 --- The winners of the 2019 Australasian Packaging Innovation & Design Awards (PIDA) for Australia and New Zealand were announced at a gala dinner on the April 30 at the SOFITEL Wentworth, Sydney. Coordinated by the Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP) and Packaging New Zealand, PIDA recognized companies and individuals who are making a significant difference in their field across the two countries.

The PIDA Awards are the exclusive feeder program for the prestigious WorldStar Packaging Awards run by the World Packaging Organisation (WPO) with the 2019 PIDA winners automatically eligible for entry into the 2020 international competition.

Many of this year’s winners demonstrated a focus on "designed-in recyclability", as public and regulatory demand for increased sustainability dominates the packaging agenda. The need for packaging that is recycle-ready has been intensified in recent months, as India became the latest waste disposal giant to close its doors to plastic waste imports. The India ban comes a year after China also banned plastic waste imports and it is expected to hit Australia particularly hard as India is reportedly its fourth largest waste export destination.

Beverage Category
The Packaging Innovation & Design of the Year Award – Beverage Category recognizes organizations that have designed innovative packaging and processing materials, packaging and machinery/equipment within packaging and processing for liquid or dry tea, coffee, water and soft drinks including wine, beer and spirits.2019 Gold Winner – Beverage Category: PACT Group for its post-consumer sourced PCR, 100 percent recycled rPET milk bottle range. (Credit: Lewis Road Creamery)

• Gold Winner: PACT Group for the New Zealand brand Lewis Road Creamery post-consumer sourced PCR, 100 percent recycled rPET milk bottle range. This is the first Australian milk producer to change to 100 percent rPET that is also 100 percent recyclable. Their rPET bottles and simple label design are uniquely eye-catching in that they resemble old-style glass milk bottles.
• Silver Winner: Stay tray for their reusable drink tray that is designed with 100 percent recycled material sourced from Australian businesses to reduce single use.
• Bronze Winner: Moonuka Milk Limited for the world’s first Milk and Mānuka Honey beverage designed in New Zealand in an old-fashioned Aseptic PET milk bottle with a removable PET shrink sleeve.

Food Category
The Packaging Innovation & Design of the Year Award – Food Category recognizes organizations that have designed innovative packaging and processing materials, packaging and machinery/equipment within food packaging and processing including fresh, frozen or other.

• Gold Winner: Danone ELN NZ Supply Point for their sachet multipack for both Aptamil and Karicare Infant Formula ranges, which is the first easy-to-open pack (without the use of scissors) in this category across the two countries. Additionally, the packaging solution is easy-to-pour (comprising a pour opening that will fit inside a baby bottle) and is easy-to-carry around in a handbag or baby bag. Danone also designed its own sealing jaw, which was manufactured locally and incorporates a cutting form that allows for perforations to be formed in the modified sealing area.
• Silver Winner: Don KRC, a Division of George Weston Foods, for their Just Add Don convenient stand-up pouch for a range of smallgoods cooking ingredients, cut and portioned for easy meal-prep. Previously, such products were packaged in modified atmosphere trays and were difficult to open and reclose. The new pouch is resealable, lightweight, designed to extend shelf life and meets redcycle criteria.
• Bronze Winner: OJI Fibre Solutions for RJ’s Licorice open top & open front Shelf Friendly Packaging that was designed to withstand export from New Zealand to Australia as well as handle stacking from pallet displays straight into supermarkets.

Health, Beauty & Wellness Category
The Packaging Innovation & Design of the Year Award – Health, Beauty & Wellness Category recognizes organizations that have designed innovative packaging and processing materials, packaging and machinery/equipment within cosmetics, toiletries, personal hygiene, supplements, vitamins, perfumes, hair body and oral care.

• Gold Winner: Impact International for the Sarah, Craig and Margorie 100 percent recycled PE and sugar cane PE tubes. The Craig tube can also be offered as a 5-layer EVOH tube, which helps improve product shelf life by increasing the oxygen barrier properties of the tube. These environmentally-friendly tubes also provide protection to the brand owner against counterfeit products.
• Silver Winner: PACT Group for the New Zealand’s Mix Ltd Essano brand post-consumer sourced (PCR) 100 percent recycled rPET shampoo bottle range. The new rPET range replaced the former HDPE design. Based on Essano’s volumes, this equates to approximately 56 tonnes kilograms of plastic that has been reused and diverted from landfill.
• Bronze Winner: OJI Fibre Solutions for EcoStore gift packs that hold product in place in smaller, lighter, eco-friendly 100 percent recyclable and compostable boxes.

Domestic & Household Category
The Packaging Innovation & Design of the Year Award – Domestic & Household Category recognizes organizations that have designed innovative packaging and machinery/equipment 2019 Gold Winner –  Domestic & Household Category: Nulon Products Australia & Caps and Closures for the Nulon EZY-SQUEEZE fluid transfer system. (Credit: Nulon Products)within domestic and household items, toys, stationary, gifts, clothing, garden equipment, decorating.

• Gold Winner: Nulon Products Australia & Caps and Closures for the Nulon EZY-SQUEEZE fluid transfer system which replaces the traditional rigid packaging with a flexible pouch and applicator that has made accessing hard-to-reach fill points on a car quick and easy. The new packaging now makes it easier, quicker, with less waste and no pumps.
• Silver Winner: OF Packaging for the Kookaburra Worm Farms Flat Bottom Bag with Perforated Side Gussets providing the required oxygen levels for the living product inside. The bag is also self-standing and rectangular in nature, which offers optimal space-utilisation for both packing and shipping procedures compared to other formats.

Labeling & Decoration Category (New Award)
The Packaging Innovation & Design of the Year Award – Domestic & Household Category recognizes the addition of content to a pack which creates a unique or innovative appearance, function or communication. This may include labels, sleeves, tags, coding/markings, etching, directly applied inks or by any other similar process. This is a WorldStar Packaging Award Category.

• Gold Winner: Currie Group for their new transformational printing technology for packaging that showcases high-end printing, finishing, coding, marking and AR technology driving awareness to The Australian Rhino Project (TARP).
• Silver Winner: Metalprint Australia for Chobani Australia Spooky Vanilla Ghost Shaped Pouch which is a unique non-symmetrical packaging design.

2019 Accessible Packaging Design Special Award (NEW AWARD)
The Packaging Innovation & Design of the Year Award – Domestic & Household Category recognizes new packaging designs that are accessible, intuitive, easy-to-open and innovative.

• Gold Winner: SPC Ardmona for their SPC ProVital Easy-Open Diced Fruit in Jelly range, which is designed for all consumers, including those with reduced fine motor skills, dexterity and strength. This design achieved an ISR +8 accessibility rating (i.e. the product is universally easy-to-open, with 95 percent of the population able to open the pack without tools).
• Silver Winner: Flavour Creations for their pre-thickened Ready-To-Drink (RTD) range packaged in the new Dysphagia Cup and Cup Holder which is designed to specifically increase rates of hydration and decrease rates of malnutrition for residents/patients with Dysphagia. Along with the reusable holder and plastic over seal, the snap fitting portion control cup has a large overhanging tab that is textured.
• Special Commendation: Moana New Zealand & Sealed Air for Cryovac Grip and Tear (including 'small tab'), which was designed to foster ease-of-use for packaged meat, poultry, seafood products for processors, food service and retail markets.

2019 Save Food Packaging Design Special Award
The Save Food Packaging Design Special Award recognizes companies that have developed innovative and sustainable packaging solutions that minimize food losses and food waste. This is a WorldStar Packaging Awards category. The winner was awarded a custom EcodEX packaging environmental assessment valued at AUD 10,000 (US$7,000)

• Gold Winner: Hazeldene's Chicken Farm & Sealed Air for Cryovac Darfresh on Tray vacuum skin technology, which provides an increase of shelf life by 25 percent over existing MAP applications. The freezer-ready packaging is easy-to-open as the tear tab and peelable top film allows for easy product access.
• Silver Winner: Flavour Creations for their pre-thickened ready-to-drink (RTD) range of packaging which are shelf-stable products with 12 months shelf-life when unopened. When the RTD’s are packaged in the new Dysphagia Cup and Cup Holder they are designed to reduce food for special medical purposes by enabling better motor control of the drinking process, improving grip, stability and ensuring the ability to consume the full contents.

2019 Sustainable Packaging Design Special Award
The Sustainable Packaging Design Award recognizes companies that have developed innovative packaging or processing solutions that incorporate sustainability considerations. Elements include Social, Material, Source Reduction, Energy and Recovery. Award winners were separated in to two subset categories: Materials and Circular Economy. The Gold winners for each category were awarded a custom EcodEX packaging environmental assessment valued at AUD 10,000 (US$7,000) sponsored by Empauer.

• Gold Winner (Materials): Punchbowl Packaging for the Kaituna Blueberries peel-able, re-sealable, tamper-proof top seal fibre punnets. Punchbowl’s design approach was to deliver a simple, practical and sustainable solution for customers, while ensuring a range of ‘end of life’ options for the packaging.
• Silver Winner (Materials): Plantic Technologies for the NEAT Meat Tray using PLANTIC RV high barrier Skin Pack recyclable material to replace its previous non-recyclable tray made from black HIPS (High Impact Polystyrene).
• Bronze Winner (Materials): Impact International has taken an innovative & sustainable approach to offer to their customers three tube packaging options to replace fossil fuel plastic tube packaging. The Sarah, Craig and Margorie range are 100 percent recycled PE and sugar cane PE tubes.
• Special Commendation #1 (Materials): Woolworths has replacing its previous black plastic non-recyclable plastic trays with a renewable sourced pulp/plant-based fibre sourced from unbleached bamboo (40 percent) and unbleached sugarcane (60 percent).
• Special Commendation #2 (Materials): Ranpak for its Thermal Paper Packaging Solution. Ranpak’s packaging is biodegradable, recyclable and renewable and using the Ranpak equipment it provides companies with flexibility to generate packaging as required, pre-sized and pre-cut.
• Gold Winner (Circular): PACT Group for the New Zealand brand Lewis Road Creamery post-consumer sourced PCR 100 percent recycled rPET milk bottle range. 
• Special Commendation (Circular): Detpak for its initiative and investment in the development of the RecycleMe system, which incorporates circular economy-thinking to maintain high material value to address a single use packaging item.