The first day of FACHPACK in Nuremberg showcased the big stage for major innovations. The German Packaging Institute (dvi) organized the award ceremony and, together with more than 380 guests from the industry, celebrated the 41 winning innovations at this year’s German Packaging Award. The moment everyone was waiting for at this special industry event was the announcement of the five Gold Awards. The independent German Packaging Award jury hands out these Gold Awards to honor particularly ground-breaking innovations that stand out even from this illustrious circle of 41 packaging award winners. This time, gold went to outstanding solutions in the categories of Digitalisation, Functionality & Convenience, Sustainability and Packaging Machines.

From the moment the doors to the Munich Hall of the NCC Mitte opened yesterday, excitement and anticipation filled the air. The German Packaging Institute had already announced the winners of Europe’s largest packaging exhibition back in August. The unanswered question on everyone’s minds was: which of the Packaging Award winners would also walk away with one of the particularly exclusive Gold Awards?

This special industry event was opened by Peter Ottmann, CEO of NürnbergMesse, who greeted the industry with the words “Welcome to the future”.

“Trade fairs are fueling stations for optimism. Only the optimists are here, because the pessimists have stayed at home. We see the future at FACHPACK”, said Ottmann, creating the perfect transition to the winners of the Packaging Award. Afterwards, Oliver Berndt, Head of Events & Marketing at the dvi and the event’s moderator, thanked the IGEPA group, FACHPACK and Mitsubishi Electric as this year’s German Packaging Award partners.

41 brilliant winners

Almost 250 submissions from thirteen countries flooded into the dvi this year and were assessed and evaluated by a 27-member independent jury during a two-day meeting in July. In the end, they selected 41 winners with innovations covering the entire range of materials in all ten award categories. Accompanied by the beats of a DJane, the innovators in attendance received their certificates, the red German Packaging Award trophy and much deserved applause at the award ceremony.

Five Gold Awards stand out

After the awards ceremony came the Gold Awards. Once again this year, the jury discovered innovations that they wanted to give additional recognition to and award as particularly pioneering solutions. The gold-colored trophies were presented by Thomas Reiner, Chairman of the dvi Executive Board.

Gold for Sykell GmbH

A Gold Award in the Digitalisation category went to CIRCULAR ERP, a platform from Sykell for managing reusable and circular goods. The cloud-based software model was specially developed to manage deposit and reusable systems and can map a variety of different primary and secondary packaging such as bottles, molded trays or other containers. The software also integrates a range of third-party providers such as logistics partners and cleaning companies, enabling efficient operations throughout the supply chain. This makes it much easier for companies to join the circular economy.

Gold for MB-Kreativtechnologien

In the Functionality & Convenience category, Gold went to Magic-B-locK, an innovative packaging product from MB-Kreativtechnologien that uses an authentication card to open and close it. The exclusive packaging was developed to protect children and young people from opening and consuming the packaged goods – in this specific case, e-cigarettes and liquids containing nicotine. The packaging can only be opened with a separate authentication card, which must be held on the front of the box. An audible “click” indicates it has been opened. The jury was thoroughly convinced by the intelligent function of the packaging, especially in view of the growing market for nicotine-containing products and the ongoing legalization of cannabis.

Gold for LEEB GmbH & Co. KG.

Leeb’s PureWrap PP was awarded Gold in the Sustainability category. The single-origin and recyclable soft cheese wrapper boasts two 100% ratings: for the material used and recyclability. The jury particularly praised the impressive switch from multi-material primary packaging to a single-origin PP wrapper. The monomaterial consists of an outer layer and a specially woven PP. This fleece-like layer forms an air cushion to allow the cheese to continue maturing naturally. The customer does not notice any difference in the taste. The achievement of maintaining product quality whilst switching to mono-material for the circular economy is outstanding and was particularly emphasized by the jury.

Gold for Zotefoams plc

Another Gold in the Sustainability category went to ReZorce® Circular Packaging from Zotefoams. The sustainable alternative to beverage cartons consists of 100% HDPE, using between 30 and 70 percent mechanically recycled HDPE. A patented technology enables a barrier layer to be applied during extrusion. And another solid gold argument to clinch the jury’s vote: HDPE packaging has been proven to reduce environmental impacts such as water consumption and energy use by around 50% compared to conventional composite beverage cartons.

Gold for MULTIVAC Sepp Haggenmüller SE & Co. KG

The MULTIVAC Cooling@Packing System secured a Gold Award in the Packaging Machine category. The machine uses a vacuum to cool baked goods during packaging. The cooling process is integrated into a thermoforming, filling and sealing machine. The reduction in temperature from 95°C to around 30°C that is required is achieved by vacuum chambers arranged one behind the other in the packaging machine. Packaging the products immediately after baking best improves freshness and shelf life. Energy, time and space can be saved because the usual separate cooling process is no longer required. The inline solution also improves process reliability and reduces costs compared to conventional vacuum coolers. Many compelling arguments, in the eyes of the jury, in favor of Gold.

Conclusion and outlook

After the Gold Awards were announced, all 41 packaging award winners were added to the photo wall of fame, where the special moment was captured for all time. The award ceremony then morphed into a relaxed and lively networking event. The submission phase for the next German Packaging Award will be launched in February 2025.