2023 Winners

Apex Protein Snacks Meat Sticks

In 2021, Apex was collaborating with another supplier, running this film using traditional plate-based printing. Due to the brand’s high number of SKUs, they constantly faced ever-increasing plate charges that would often take 6-8 weeks to switch over. At the time, the brand only had a handful of SKUs but planned to continue introducing new flavors and designs. Because of this, Apex needed a quicker turn, plate free print solution. Nosco’s ability to help with Apex’s pouches while maintaining consistent colors further allowed a growing print partnership.

Manufacturer: Nosco

End-User/Customer: Apex Protein Snacks LLC

Plant: Pleasant Prairie, WI, US

Key Suppliers: Avery Dennison (film supplier); Nobelus (laminate supplier); HP Indigo ElectroInks (ink supplier); HP Indigo 20000 Digital Press (printing press); Karlville Pack Ready Laminator (laminator); and Gordon Bruner (Nosco packaging advisor)

EcoVue® Single Dose Ultrasound Gel Packet

The innovative, flexible EcoVue® single dose ultrasound gel packet features custom flexible packaging film with many benefits to the medical industry, consumers, and society overall. It is easy to hold, use, and open, but it is also lightweight and requires less energy to manufacture and transport.

Manufacturer: Glenroy, Inc.

End-User/Customer: HR Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Plant: Menomonee Falls, WI, US

Key Suppliers: Glenroy, Inc.

Frito-Lay Compostable Snack Packaging at Coachella Music Festival

Bryce Corporation and Frito-Lay, a division of PepsiCo® and a leader in snacking, collaborated to develop industrially compostable packaging for the 2022 Coachella Music Festival. Several flavors, including Lay’s® Classic Potato Chips, made their debut in this 100% compostable package. Throughout the Coachella campgrounds, compost bins were strategically placed for consumers to properly dispose of the packaging. The project was a great success and highlights Frito-Lay’s PepsiCo Positive (Pep+) journey to build a sustainable food system.

Manufacturer: Bryce Corporation

End-User/Customer: Frito-Lay

Plant: Memphis, TN, US

Key Suppliers: Bi-Ax (print film); Sun Chemical Corporation (inks); H.B. Fuller (adhesive); StarPak (sealant film); Danimer (resin); and Rol-Vac, LP (metallization)

F-UHB-M Ultra High Barrier and High Metal Bond Metallized Polyester Film for Aluminum Foil Replacement

The 2022-23 flagship for Flex Film’s continued technological advancement efforts in BOPET film developments is this revolutionary, ultra-high barrier and a very high metal bond metallized BOPET film, suitable for total foil replacement in laminates. With a strong focus on end-use customers, society, and the planet, a specially developed in-house manufacturing process allowed F-UHB-M to outperform typical expectations in barrier performance and film properties, while maintaining the cost of a barrier/metallized film.

Manufacturer: Flex Films (USA) Inc.

End-User/Customer: Printpack Company

Plant: Elizabethtown, KY, US

HP HDX Lubricant Oil Stand-up Spouted Pouch, 1 L

This spouted stand-up pouch package for 1 L lubricant oil replaces traditional rigid plastic bottles and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by more than 1,100%, packaging landfilled by 163%, and plastic usage by 64%. The pouch was designed to protect the integrity of high-performance oils and lubricants which tend to migrate and may cause layer separation. The technical aspects to ensure leakage, dart, and puncture resistance as well as the physical appearance of the pouch were considered in the design process. Compared to rigid bottles, inventories of spouted pouches are much more space efficient and require much less area to store.

Manufacturer: Paharpur 3P

End-User/Customer: Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd.

Plant: Sahibabad, UP, India, IN

Designer/Design Firm: Paharpur 3P Private Limited

Key Suppliers: UFlex (PET supplier); Vacmet (METPET supplier); Emblem (BON supplier); and Sakata (ink supplier)

Lahli™ Morning Protein Bites in an AmPrima™ PE Plus Recycle Ready Pouch

The Lahli™ brand is working to create delicious convenient foods with simple, flavorful ingredients, made right for consumers and the world that surrounds them. When launching Morning Protein Bites, the Lahli™ brand made thoughtful choices like opting for the stand-up pouch from Amcor, which is designed to be recycled but retains needed quality and durability. The pouch features AmPrima™ PE Plus material, which delivers appearance and performance comparable to conventional non-recyclable OPET/PE laminations but is recyclable in the flexible PE stream. The solution beautifully conveys the Lahli™ brand while also working to reduce the negative impacts of non-recyclable OPET packaging.

Manufacturer: Amcor Flexibles

Plant: Oshkosh, WI, US

McDonalds 2022 Pokémon Card Overwrap

American Packaging Corporation’s revolutionary fiber-based card overwrap supports McDonald’s global initiative to only sell Happy Meal® toys that are renewable, recyclable, or made with responsibly sourced materials by the end of 2025. The card overwrap features a surface printed paper with a repulpable, dispersion coating applied at American Packaging Corporation on the reverse side. To match the high-fidelity graphics necessary for this Pokémon application, the graphics are printed on a rotogravure press and overcoated with a high gloss, heat-resistant overlacquer to provide an aesthetically appealing package. The dispersion coating provides an ultra-low seal initiation temperature that allows for efficient line speed during conversion on the flow wrapping equipment at Millennium Print Group. Overall, the process provides a supreme appearance and functionality, yet an environmentally sustainable finished product.

Manufacturer: American Packaging Corporation

End-User/Customer: Millennium Print Group/The Pokémon Company International

Plant: Columbus, WI, US

Metropolitan Tea Compostable Tea Envelopes and Overwraps

Metropolitan Tea uses ProAmpac’s ProActive Compostable® CPM-2000 structure for their premium single and loose-leaf serve teas. CPM-2000 is a high-barrier paper-based laminate for dry foods. The Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) certified that CPM-2000 complies with the specifications established by the American Society of Testing and Materials Standards’ ASTM D6868 for industrial compostability.

Manufacturer: ProAmpac

End-User/Customer: Metropolitan Tea

Plant: Suffolk, VA, US

Designer/Design Firm: ProAmpac

Nestlé San Pellegrino Sparkling Water Integritite™ 33% PCR Bundling Collation Shrink Film

The Nestlé San Pellegrino Integritite™ 33% PCR bundling collation shrink film is produced by TC Transcontinental Packaging for Canadian Costco locations. This film bundles multipacks of imported San Pellegrino sparkling water to provide a sustainable solution without compromising clarity or performance.

Manufacturer: TC Transcontinental Packaging

End-User/Customer: Nestlé San Pellegrino Sparkling Water

Plant: Montreal, Quebec, CA

Okam Rice Recyclable Flat Bottom 3D Pouch, 5 kg

Integrated Plastics Packaging developed a recyclable all-PE (mono-polymer) 3-layer printed laminate and converted it to a side gusseted flat bottom 3D pouch. The pouch has a front load pocket, a recloseable zipper, and a die-cut handle for consumer convenience to transport the 5 kg (11 lbs.) package. The graphics are superior via rotogravure printing with a matte and gloss effect, resulting in a spectacular product presentation.

Manufacturer: Integrated Plastics Packaging

End-User/Customer: Okam Rice

Plant: Dubai, AE, AE

Paper Boat™ Coconut Water Shaped Stand-up Pouch, 250 ml

This uniquely shaped stand-up pouch with an eye-catching design and premium matte coat effect is a perfect packaging solution for the packaging of 250 ml of coconut water, which is traditionally packed in rigid plastic bottles. The package was designed to protect the natural electrolytes from moisture and oxygen with the help of a high-barrier packaging material. The technical aspects and the physical appearance were also considered while designing the pouch for its unique shape to make it attractive to consumers.

Manufacturer: Paharpur 3P

End-User/Customer: Hector Beverages Private Limited

Plant: Sahibabad, UP, India, IN

Designer/Design Firm: Paharpur 3P Private Limited

Key Suppliers: UFlex (PET supplier); Hindalco (foil supplier); Emblem (BON supplier); and RC Films (retort CPP-N supplier)

Pet Medical Product Pouch

This is a pouch product for the pet care market. It allows pet owners to provide medicinal CBD benefits to their pets. The pouch provides stand-up capabilities for advanced marketing on the store shelf. The high-quality flexographic printing is combined with matte surface enhancements and highly reflective ink treatments for outstanding shelf presence.

Manufacturer: Advanced Web Technologies – Illinois, Inc.

End-User/Customer: True Leaf Pet, Inc.

Plant: South Elgin, IL, US

Designer/Design Firm: AWT Labels & Packaging

Profol's SBB Synthetic Bacon Board®

Profol’s SBB Synthetic Bacon Board® is a polypropylene mono-material that provides a viable replacement for traditional wax paperboard bacon L boards. SBB is helping meet sustainability goals by providing manufacturing efficiencies over traditional board and is recycle-ready. SBB delivers the wow factor on retail shelves by keeping colors and prints more vivid as well as maintaining package integrity.

Manufacturer: Profol

End-User/Customer: Hooray Foods

Plant: Cedar Rapids, IA, US

Key Suppliers: Profol and Beidel Printing

Purition Single-Serve Smoothie Meal Replacement Powder

Purition’s single-serve smoothie meal replacement powder uses ProAmpac’s ProActive Recyclable® paper sachets. This unique packaging minimizes the overall material without sacrificing product protection. This unique ProActive Recyclable® paper sachet offers portion control as it can hold one serving per packet, and is easily recyclable in paper streams.

Manufacturer: ProAmpac

End-User/Customer: Purition

Plant: Europarc, Grimsby, GB

Designer/Design Firm: ProAmpac

Supply™ Indica Vape Pen, 300 mg

This Supply™ Indica Vape Pen package effectively grabs your attention with its minimalistic design. One of the best features of this bag is the child-resistant zipper by Elplast that has a fold-over flap with a double lock hidden behind it. It can only be opened by pulling back the flap and peeling apart the zippers behind. The bag also includes a double cut allowing the bag to bleed to the edge.

Manufacturer: PPC Flex

End-User/Customer: AEG

Plant: Payson, UT, US

Key Suppliers: PPC Flexible Packaging, INX International Ink Co., and Elplast America

Walex Commando® Black Holding Tank Cleaner Store Drop-off Recyclable Pouch

Not only is the product inside good for the environment, the packaging is too! This Walex How2Recycle® store drop-off recyclable pouch replaces a traditional stand-up pouch and qualifies for the NexTrex® recycling program. Consumers simply take the clean, empty pouch back to the bins outside of retail stores and the pouch will be recycled into resin pellets for future film production or sent directly to Trex so it can be upcycled into composite decking and furniture.

Manufacturer: Glenroy, Inc.

End-User/Customer: Walex Products Company

Plant: Menomonee Falls, WI, US

Designer/Design Firm: Emmy Errante, Walex Products Company

Key Suppliers: Glenroy, Inc.

Whole Foods Baking Mix Flat Bottom Pouches

The Whole Foods Baking Mix Flat Bottom Pouches are produced by TC Transcontinental Packaging for the U.S. market. The Whole Foods team provided excellent graphic design to be printed on these pouches. The design maintains exceptional print production in combination with a matte finish to catch the consumer’s attention. In addition, the tented structure with side print on these bags provides an elegant, modernized take on traditional baking mix bags. Overall, the features on this bag work together to elevate this baking mix as a premium product.

Manufacturer: TC Transcontinental Packaging

End-User/Customer: Whole Foods

Plant: Brooklyn, NY, US

Designer/Design Firm: Whole Foods

Ykibble® Baked Dog Food 5 Panel PTC Zipper Pouch, 9.5 kg

This specially designed 5-panel press-to-close zipper pouch with a v-notch on both sides for bulk packaging of pet food is capable of protecting the soft and moist product against moisture and maintaining quality. The multicolored pouch has eye-catching graphics to attract the consumers’ attention. The pouch has a good standability for storing in warehouses where it can be easily palletized and stacked. The main design challenge was ensuring the ability of the pouch to sustain drops from heights, which was tackled through robust designing of the pouch structure and process control.

Manufacturer: Paharpur 3P

End-User/Customer: Sixth Sense Retail Private Limited

Plant: Sahibabad, UP, India, IN

Designer/Design Firm: Paharpur 3P Private Limited

Key Suppliers: Ester (PET supplier); Vacmet (METPET supplier); and Sakata (ink supplier)

Z Natural Foods® Whole Milk Powder

This large stand-up pouch is constructed to hold five pounds (5 lbs.) of product. Additionally, the tear notches and zipper allow for easy-to-open capabilities.

Manufacturer: Inland Packaging

End-User/Customer: Z Natural Foods®

Plant: Delafield, WI, US