Dow’s 35th Packaging Innovation Awards recently concluded its evaluation of entries, which saw jury representatives come together to discuss key trends shaping packaging innovation in a customer and media event in Bangkok.
Dow’s Packaging Innovation Awards (PIA) is the packaging industry’s premier accolade for recognizing breakthroughs in technological advancement, sustainability, and enhanced user experience. As one of the industry’s longest-running independently judged awards, the global program – now into its 35th edition – calls on Asia-Pacific this year as the region plays host for the first time to both the judging event and awards ceremony.
This edition of the PIA saw a record-breaking number of entries, with over 300 submissions received from packaging professionals and companies across the globe, a 74.4% increase since the previous edition. Earlier in June, the jury panel, consisting of 18 global leaders from across the packaging industry, gathered in Bangkok for a rigorous evaluation of the entries. Dow is expected to unveil the line-up of finalists in August 2024, with the eventual winners set to be crowned at Tokyo Pack in October 2024.
As the evaluation came to an end, representatives from the jury discussed key trends shaping packaging innovation in a panel discussion moderated by David Luttenberger, Global Packaging Director, Mintel, and Jury Chairperson for the 35th Packaging Innovation Awards.
The panel discussion also featured other judges, which include:
- Gautam Bhattacharjee, Senior Director of R&D Packaging, P&G
- Laura Buen Abad, Vice President of Technology and Marketing for the Thermoformed and Flexible Packaging business, Sonoco
- Tim Sykes, Brand Director, Packaging Europe
Daniella Souza Miranda, Global Marketing Director, Dow, delivered a keynote on Asia’s importance as a packaging hub. “It shouldn’t be a surprise to any of us that Asia is in now the center of innovation. From a supply perspective, the region currently represents almost half of the world’s production and manufacturing of packaging. It is therefore encouraging to see that around 40% of the submissions this year came right from Asia,” said Daniella.
Daniella also expressed how the growth of middle-class consumers and rapid urbanization in Asia provide tremendous opportunity for innovation in the region, giving rise to some of the most cutting-edge packaging innovations. She shared examples of award-winning packaging from past editions of the PIA that were simple, implementable, and recyclable. These include Australia’s OF Packaging, which created a convention-defying granola pouch that can be recycled through curbside recycling, and Japan’s DNP, which created a PET plastic bottle for liquor products that retains qualities consumers love about glass bottles while being recyclable, lightweight and virtually unbreakable.
Daniella also emphasized the importance of harnessing innovation to address the shared responsibility to minimize the world’s impact on the environment while meeting its need for packaging solutions. “When we talk about the innovation and the importance of thinking differently to define different products, none of this is possible without a material ecosystem’. We can’t avoid our responsibility as members of the packaging value chain in turning the linear economy into a circular economy,” said Daniella.
Noting how Dow is bringing this vision to life, Daniella cited Dow’s partnerships with Liby and Mengniu in China, and Lion Corporation in Thailand as examples of how successful partnerships can be a difference maker in enabling packaging that is traditionally difficult to be recycled, to be integrated into closed-loop recycling streams.
“Innovation and sustainability go hand-in-hand and require collaboration across the value chains, from upstream to downstream and across industry partners, for us to move forward and drive progress. We believe innovation is the way forward, and that this awards program is our contribution to the industry, to improve people’s lives and advance sustainability,” said Daniella.
David Luttenberger, Global Packaging Director, Mintel, Jury Chairperson for the 35th Packaging Innovation Awards, also delivered a keynote where he delved into the award’s mechanisms and what defines good packaging.
“Packaging is more than just science and technology. It must work in harmony with the product to meet consumers’ needs, making life easier, faster, more convenient, and safer, while providing value for money,” commented David.
David discussed how packaging today needs to be designed and manufactured in a way that emotionally connects with consumers and influences their purchasing decisions. To achieve this, packaging must be practical, price-rational, physically friendly, connectable, engaging, traceable, and inclusive of economic, social, and environmental factors.
David also reiterated the independence of the awards, citing that the judges’ views are independent of their professional capacity. Dow does not have any sway in the jury’s evaluation of winners as well.
