‘High five’ as Alufoil Trophy winners scoop WorldStar Awards

A record breaking five products, which were recognised earlier this year for excellence in aluminium foil innovation by the Alufoil Trophy 2019 competition, have received internationally recognised WorldStars following judging by voting members of the World Packaging Organisation (WPO) at its meeting in Bali, Indonesia.

Constantia Flexibles International, no stranger to Worldstar success, has won two awards in the Food category. The first was for its EasyOpenLidretort, a newly developed solution for alufoil-based food container systems, used for in-pack sterilization processes, allowing easier and more convenient opening.

The company’s second award comes for a joint development with saturn petcare which offers modern styling for premium pet food products. The round, alufoil container is designed to communicate a high quality packaging appearance by printing 100% of the surface, fully visible at the point of sale. The design also improves stability while the ergonomic bowl shape supports the easy removal of the contents.

Another joint development, this time by Amcor Flexibles and Glaxo SmithKline has won in the Medical and Pharmaceutical category. The Formpack Dessiflex Ultra for Augmentin offers enhanced protection for this antibiotic, which is very moisture sensitive. The desiccated blister pack combines a Formpack Dessiflex Ultra Blister System with a specific lidding foil.

The Ardagh Group, working with Orkla Foods of Norway has picked up a WorldStar in the Labelling & Decoration category. A new Hansa can for Stabburet, which is a printed, easy open, alufoil-based container for a traditional fish fillet pack, achieves a reduction in material thickness from 0.21mm to 0.19mm, without changing the format, or any loss of performance during the retorting process.

Finally, the winner of the overall Discretionary Award for the Alufoil Trophy, the e-WAK from Guala Closures Group has been being recognised with a WorldStar in the Packaging Materials & Components category. This is the first patented NFC (Near Field Communication) closure dedicated to wineries. The aluminium screwcap with NFC technology allows every bottle to become a “connected bottle” and wineries to establish one-to-one relationships with consumers.

“Once again it is great news to see so many Alufoil Trophy winners recognised by WPO for their contribution to the advancement of packaging technology,” said Guido Aufdemkamp, executive director of the European Aluminium Foil Association (EAFA). “We are confident Europe’s aluminium foil rollers will remain at the cutting edge of new pack developments, using this fully recyclable material to create exciting and sustainable products. These WorldStars add strength to the purpose behind the Alufoil Trophy – to encourage innovation,” he added.