The independent jury of the German Packaging Award 2023 recently unveiled the list of 34 winners of Europe’s largest showcase for packaging achievements. Among the 34 winners were three unique flexible packaging solutions from Anton Debatin, Siegwerk Druckfarben, and SÜDPACK Verpackungen.

Organized by the German Packaging Institute (dvi), the German Packaging Award has been in existence since 1963, as it celebrates innovation and excellence in a constantly evolving industry.

“The challenges that packaging have to overcome have changed over the past decades. Our products have to meet more and more expectations and requirements and find new solutions,” said Kim Cheng, Managing Director of the dvi. “What has remained constant though is the fundamental importance that packaging has for our well-being, for our health and for supplying people and businesses with all the goods they need on a daily basis.”

The independent jury of the German Packaging Award, which consists of business and trade experts and trade media members, examined and judged all the entries against fixed, category-specific criteria at a two-day meeting, where they selected the 34 winners spread across 10 categories: Digitization, Functionality and Convenience, Design and Processing, Logistics and Material Flow, Sustainability, New Material, Packaging Machines, Presentation of Goods, Economic Efficiency, and Young Talent.

Anton Debatin earned honors in the Logistics and Material Flow category for its innovative packaging solution with an integrated absorber coating. The packaging has not yet hit the market, but it will be used primarily for shipping medical samples for laboratory diagnostics. The absorber coating prevents any leakage in the case of a sample breaking, turning the substance into a gel to prevent any further contamination.

“The main benefit of this packaging solution is eliminating the absorber section, which was previously inserted manually,” noted the jury in a release. “The insertion process and the subsequent separation of bag and absorber section during disposal are both eliminated. This can improve efficiency in the production and disposal process. The new bag is made of recycled plastic, and the coating inside washes off in the recycling process. This means that the recycling process is not interrupted. The absence of an absorber section also results in reduced transport volume.”

Siegwerk Druckfarben won an award in the Sustainability category for its recyclable mono-PE stand-up pouch with an outstanding oxygen barrier and a de-inking feature for paint and coating removal. The pouches can be used for a wide range of sophisticated products, and are able to turn into colorless, high-quality recyclate, which contributes to the circular economy.

“By using a highly effective printed oxygen barrier in combination with a new type of primer for delamination and de-inking, as well as an adhesive certified for this process, a mono-PE packaging with an internal barrier and color layer has been produced to meet the highest demands,” noted the jury. “This technology has set another milestone on the path towards a fully functioning circular economy.”

SÜDPACK Verdungpacken took home the lone award in the New Material category for its recyclable bag for cheese ripening applications with improved material efficiency and a reduced carbon footprint.

“The submission succeeded in converting an existing PA-PE packaging into a mono-solution through successfully selecting and combining innovative granulates, whilst at the same time ensuring the functional barrier for cheese ripening as well as puncture resistance required for this product,” the jury explained. “On top of this, the material reduction of 23% compared to conventional cheese maturing bags was impressive.”

For a full list of award winners, click here.