Fresh-Lock® closures, a leading brand in reclosable flexible packaging technology, has recently been honored with the 2024 WorldStar Packaging Award in the household category from the World Packaging Association. This accolade recognizes their collaborative efforts with Accredo Packaging Inc. and Radienz Living in developing a fully recyclable pouch with child-resistant reclosability for Kirkland Signature® Ultra Clean HE Laundry Detergent Pacs.

Developed for Costco Wholesale Corporation, the project aims to replace a rigid tub with a more sustainable, flexible pouch that retains the same laundry package capacity. Ensuring the closure’s resilience through 152 open-close cycles while maintaining its child-resistant properties was a critical aspect of this project.

In a unified effort, Fresh-Lock® closures, Accredo Packaging Inc., and Radienz Living realized this innovation, achieving an impressive 80 percent reduction in plastic usage when compared to the product’s original, rigid canister.

“We are incredibly proud to have our work chosen as a winner of the 2024 WorldStar Awards. What an honor,” said Todd Meussling, Fresh-Lock Senior Manager Market Development. “Now having successfully demonstrated its viability in commercial production and the marketplace, the recyclable, child-resistant pouch opens doors for potential expansion into other sectors, such as household cleaners and pharmaceutical products.”

“Collaboration is the cornerstone of the circular economy,” said Trei Johnson, Director of Sustainability at Accredo. “That’s why we take pride in seeing our collaboration on this pouch culminate in the prestigious 2024 WorldStar Award. As the sustainability needs of brands undergo perpetual refinement, creating partnerships with companies who embody collaboration, innovation, and agility is essential."

Alongside this prestigious 2024 WorldStar Award, this child-resistant pouch designed for Kirkland Signature® Ultra Clean HE Laundry Detergent Pacs received the Flexible Packaging Association Gold Award for sustainability in March 2023. Eligibility for WorldStar Awards is reserved for packages that have won a national or regional packaging award within the last two years from a competition recognized by the World Packaging Association.