De Gouden Noot 2018 preview: Finalists go head-to-head tonight

22 Nov 2018 --- The 29th edition of De Gouden Noot (“The Gold Walnut”) packaging award show will take place tonight in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, with the ten finalists eager to find out whether they will be taking home the prize for the “world’s most competitive packaging contest.” The contest has no subcategories; all entries are judged on their “overall innovativeness,” while the jury is independent and covers all aspects of packaging composition. PackagingInsights takes a look at the final nominees.

ACU-DropII by Verhoeven Ontwerpburo
ACU-Drop II is a unique, patented container design that is “revolutionizing quality control” in the In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) market. The innovative, dual chambered device keeps various fractions separated, preventing reactions between components of the desired matrix. When ready, the user simply pushes a button to allow the fractions to combine and can then mix with the integrated “static stirrer” to create a sample that is ready to use, either from the built-in dropper bottle or by attaching a syringe. ACU-Drop II will “open doors in the quality control arena” with its ease of use, elimination of the need for pipetting and by solving matrix interactions – all in a single container.

Arcwise packaging by Brohl Wellpappe
Arcwise is a patented, alternative way to produce corrugated board. The final result is a sheet of corrugated board that is easy to bend, to such an extent that even “fluent” (not kinked) round shapes can now be made of corrugated board without issue. Produced by Brohl Wellpappe, the Arcwise corrugated board boasts many round-shape application and design possibilities for bottles, tubes and cans. It uses less material thereby reducing carbon footprint, while research suggests that consumers rate round shapes more positively than square shapes, which can boost sales.

Combo Excelsior by Schoeller Allibert
The walls, base and lid of the Combo Excelsior container are hollow welded skins which give a smooth hygienic design while the internal steel reinforcement provides superior strength to volume ratio. The design has been optimized using aircraft technology computer-aided design techniques in order to minimize carbon footprint. The container has non-sequential sidewall folding thanks to floating hinges, ergonomic sidewall latches, while the self-locking lid provides easy and safe operation by reducing risk of damage to product or operator. Modular construction allows all individual parts to be easily replaced in the field further extending product life. Meanwhile, the dimensions are optimized to fit road, rail and sea transportation thereby providing a truly universal solution for international and intercontinental liquid transportation.

CRTESS CAP by Mullackal Polymers
The CRTESS caps stands for Chemical-Resistant Tamper Evident Self-Sealing Cap. It is designed for Jerry Cans, canisters and bottles. It has an in-built inner sealing layer which is soft, flexible and chemically resistant. This innovative sealing layer is an integral part of the hard-outer plastic cap, providing the customer with a single component solution. The CRTESS cap guarantees 100 percent leak-proof and 100 percent odor lock seal every time the cap is used/screwed on, even after the first use. It is designed to provide an easy, safe and sustainable solution to the manufacturer, brand owner and most importantly the end user of packaged liquid products.

Seepje by FLEX/design
The FLEX/design team created an iconic, sustainable packaging solution: a bottle with the archetypical shape of a bar of soap for its new range of liquid detergents. Its rectangular shape with integrated handle ensures an efficient use of material and optimized logistic performance. Its plain design stands out on the shelves, which are filled with a profusion of shapes and colors. It is intended to demonstrate a “clean and pure” look. The bottle is made of Dutch recycled HDPE-plastic.

Hot2Home Fry Cup by Plato Product Consultants
The new Hot2Home Fry Cup is made of folding carton board. The Hot2Home pack has a standing, tapered shape with a curved bottom that enables the fries to have an open stack in the pack, allowing air to pass through. A pattern with holes has been made in the sides and the lid of the pack to provide optimal ventilation. The specific design of the holes in the sides and the lid means that the pack works like a chimney, removing the moisture released by the fries so that they stay crispy and warm for 20 minutes.

The shape of the holes has been derived from the logo of LambWeston and creates the link between the pack and the brand owner. The graphical design is quite neutral, but can be changed according to the specific wishes of the customers of LambWeston. The functioning and design have been validated through consumer research that showed that consumers associated the shape of the Hot2Home cup with fries.

PersistAlert by Ecobliss
This NFC-enabled medical pack has an alarm which alerts consumers to their medication. The alarm is reset by scanning with a smartphone. In case the patient does not go to the packaging, the alarm will continue until the above-mentioned action has taken place. Patients receive a notification (alarm) via the PersistAlert app that it is time to take their medication. The mobile phone displays the type of medication and the quantity required.

Stackpack by Zalpak & Straatman
The problems of a regular carton top seal tray can easily be solved by the Stackpack. The top seal film shrinks after top sealing, pulling the carton seal-flanks up. Also, the memory of the carton board pulls the flanks up again. Besides that, the seal-flanks of a carton tray needs to be connected. Nowadays they use a special and expensive custom-made machine to glue the flanks in the corners. However, the corners of the flanks from the Stackpack will be automatically connected during top sealing. The flanks on the long side have a recess in the corner. The short flanks fit in this recess to create a flat flank without differences in thickness (like a regular carton tray). The Stackpack can be produced on a regular conical gluing machine like Heiber & Schröder with high speed, ensuring it is cheaper and easy to use.

Smart IoT Drum Pallet by Ahrma Group
This is a completely redesigned pallet, constructed from a lightweight MDF panel with blocks fully protected against impacts by means of corner protectors. All parts are coated with a very durable wear-resistant polyurethane coating, which also has a high friction coefficient. All components are glued together and each component can be replaced, which creates a sustainable product.
An active transponder with a lifespan of 10 years communicates via BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) with a fixed or a mobile gateway or with an app on a smartphone or tablet. Standard transponder measurements are location, temperature and shock (motion detector). Typically, companies use a 1200X800 pallet to hold two drums. However, the Smart IoT Drum pallet has dimensions of 1200x600, so it needs 25 percent less space. This new pallet can hold one or two barrels.

E-commerce Ready Detergent Packaging by Henkel
Today retail is changing fast and e-commerce is becoming more and more relevant, also for Laundry and Homecare products. For that reason, Henkel has set the goal to be e-commerce ready across all of its packaging. The challenge here was to create a detergent bottle that was “ready for the future.”

Henkel believes it has achieved this goal with a development based on two main pillars: preventing leakage and avoiding bottle and closure breakage. By adding a second component to the cap and spout, a leakage-proof system is created. Breakage was anticipated from a combination of design, material use and processing features, all melting together in a new bottle shape ranging from 1 up to 5 liters.