The Dow Packaging Innovation Awards jury event took place in Bangkok on 13 June 2024, offering a window into future-ready packaging solutions – not just because of the innovative manifestations but due to their transformative ability to influence the future of packaging in their respective sectors. This year, 18 leaders evaluated each entry, considering different perspectives and expertise. Asia played host to the jury event for the first time with India wielding increasing influence.
In an interaction with judges Daniella Souza Miranda, global marketing director, Dow, and David Luttenberger, global packaging director, Mintel, Packaging South Asia learnt about the evaluation process that consisted of three fundamental pillars. The first pillar, technological advancement, focused on integrating new technologies in packaging or throughout the value chain. Sustainability is the second pillar, emphasizing recyclability, reusability, and overall environmental impact. The third centers on user experience, examining how packaging improves consumer interaction, enhances product accessibility, and offers cost-effectiveness.
Daniella Souza Miranda, global marketing director, Dow presented an opening keynote about Asia’s potential for innovation.“We believe this comprehensive approach ensures the winning entries demonstrate excellence across multiple dimensions of packaging innovation,” Luttenberger said. “This move has yielded remarkable results, with submissions doubling to over 300 entries compared to the previous year. Collaboration across the value chain has been identified as a critical factor that drives the packaging industry. By standardizing goals and regulations and leveraging strengths through shared resources and expertise, this cooperative approach accelerates innovation, promotes sustainability, and improves packaging solutions.”
Luttenberger said nearly half of the innovative submissions originated from Asia, underscoring the region’s growing influence in the global packaging landscape. “Within this, and accounting for approximately one-quarter of all submissions from the region, India wields increasing influence, thanks to its fast-growing economy that spurred the demand for innovative packaging solutions in various sectors.”
According to Miranda, the decision to host this year’s edition within Asia-Pacific was easy. She said, “This region is a manufacturing powerhouse, and accounts for nearly 48.5% of global production output, unlocking immense opportunities and access to packaging innovation. Consumption here is high, and we have observed increased consumer activity among the middle class across notable Asian cities. This can accelerate innovation, creating an industry that is challenged to push boundaries where consumers gain access to purpose-fit packaging for their needs. At the same time, brand owners continue to deliver on customer experience.”
Among the prominent trends in the show was the rise in the use of advanced technology enhancing efficiency and productivity. “For instance,” Miranda says, “We see businesses leveraging GenAI and predictive learning to optimize material choices by analyzing price volatility, regional availability, and recycling infrastructure. This approach allows for accurate carbon footprint setting, reducing R&D time and carbon emissions. Furthermore, advanced data analysis is being employed to predict material and customer needs, contributing to the reduction of food waste and combat climate change.”
The judges agree that sustainability continues to be a core principle in packaging design, integrated from the start of the development process. This start-of-the-cycle focus is important as there is also a strong emphasis on providing a holistic consumer experience, ensuring sustainability does not compromise aesthetics. This balance is important as the industry rises to the challenge of addressing environmental concerns and consumer demand for eco-friendly packaging solutions.
David Luttenberger, global packaging director, Mintel, and lead judge for the 35th edition of the Packaging Innovation Awards, talked about the role of the PIA in driving innovation.Advancements in material innovation have led to significant improvements in mono materials, enhancing consumer experience and ease of disposal. These materials are now being used across multiple industries, increasing interest in collection, reprocessing, and production into reusable post-consumer-recycled (PCR) packaging. “There is undoubtedly a direct correlation between the rise of consumerism and environmental impact, and whilst not wholly stemming from the production and consumption of packaging, there are opportunities for the packaging industry to contribute positively to slowing down this impact altogether,” Miranda said.
Luttenberger adds, “A packaging that uses mono material polymer material is a curbside recyclable, high-barrier stand-up pouch for granola. This innovative solution incorporates a very thin layer of EVOH (ethylene vinyl alcohol) within a 100% polyethylene structure. The design allows consumers to easily transform the empty, flat packaging into a 3D shape suitable for their recycling bin, ensuring it is ready for processing through existing recycling systems. Initially made from three layers — polypropylene material, metalized polyester material for the high barrier, and a polyethylene material on the inside for sealability and the body of the pack, the brand successfully replaced these materials with a mono structure of specialized polyethylene.”
Miranda, with another reference, said, “In India, a chocolate manufacturer partnered with a flexible packaging manufacturer to introduce recyclable PE pouches, known as EcoLamHighPlus, for its chocolate product. The pouches use a mono-material PE laminate, replacing the multi-polymer packaging previously used. Designed to be fully recyclable in the PE stream, this packaging not only maintains the iconic packaging associated with chocolates, allowing the manufacturer to retain brand appeal via the packaging design but also enables customers to tear open the packaging easily. Being able to satisfy both functional and aesthetic requirements of the product, this innovation demonstrates how recyclability can be achieved while maintaining form, function, and consumer experience.”
Winners of the Dow Packaging Innovation Awards that took place in Bangkok on 13 June will be unveiled at an award ceremony, held in conjunction with Tokyo Pack on 24 October.
