Beauty players win at Dow’s 30th Awards for Packaging Innovation

19-Sep-2018 - Last updated on 19-Sep-2018 at 08:19 GMT

P&G became the first company in the awards’ 30-year history to have winners in all categories – Diamond Winner, Diamond Finalist, Gold Award and Silver Award.

“The breadth of the winning innovations is impressive, including a facial cleaner that uses dual plungers to dispense the product in the shape of a blooming flower, to a cleanser that comes beautifully packaged to resemble a fine cut diamond,” say the event’s organisers.

Dow’s 2018 30th Awards for Packaging Innovation successfully continues the DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation program, which is the industry’s longest-running independently judged packaging awards program.

As in years past, the judging panel featured experts with diverse backgrounds, providing global perspectives across design, engineering, retail, converting and academia.

Diamond award for P&G’s Air Assist

The highest honour, the Diamond Award, went to Procter & Gamble’s Air Assist, a breakthrough in performance and sustainability for e-commerce and brick-and-mortar packaging.

The liquid packaging technology uses compressed gas to provide tailored rigidity to create structure in flexible films.

Using a proprietary one-way valve, the new packaging form reportedly delivers cleaner dispensing, more controlled dosing and more convenient one-handed use while still being tough enough for e-commerce shipping without extra protection.

Air Assist also uses 50% less plastic than a traditional rigid bottle and has a 360-degree palette for design, making it a more resource-efficient solution.

Improving consumers’ lives through innovation

“It’s amazing to see firsthand these innovations that are improving consumers’ lives throughout the world,” said lead judge David Luttenberger, global packaging director for Mintel Group, Ltd.

“I’m humbled to be a part of this experienced, expert judging panel, and excited to see companies around the world innovate to create packaging that meets ever-changing consumer demands and sustainable practices.”

The judges evaluated more than 200 entries from companies in 30 countries.

In addition to the Diamond Award, the top honor of the competition, the judges also selected nine Diamond Finalist Winners, eight Gold Award Winners and eleven Silver Award winners. Full details of all winners can be discovered here.