Canada’s IPL wins DuPont’s top packaging award

A salsa container application developed and manufactured by Canada’s IPL Inc. has been given the highest award in the 2015 DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation.

IPL’s salsa container.

Saint-Damien, Que.-based IPL earned the Diamond Award for its SkinnyPack technology, a new mono-material package that combines flexible and rigid packaging to create a thin, light, strong structure that uses less material, enables recycling, and allows more message space.

Made from injection molded polypropylene, the container – used by U.S.-based Ana’s Foods – is made by fusing a thin, flexible in-mold label film to a sturdy, rigid frame. “This process ensures that a strong adhesion exists between the film and injected plastic, allowing the packages to remain sturdy and strong throughout production, filling, transport, distribution and consumer use,” DuPont said. “The lighter-weight, thin-walled SkinnyPack uses 54.8 per cent less plastic than the original salsa containers. The mono-material packaging structure allows the container to be 100 per cent recyclable. Prior to use, the empty SkinnyPack is nestable to maximize warehouse space. After use, the SkinnyPack can be easily crushed to optimize space during the recycling process.”

GOLD AWARD WINNERS
DuPont also honoured other winners in its Gold and Silver categories.

The first 2015 Gold Award winner is a squeezable mascara tube from AmorePacific. Described as the first matte silicone mascara tube in the world, the product is a hybrid package made of a silicone tube with an aluminum laminated inner pouch. “The tube eliminates consumer frustrations with inconsistent delivery, dried out product, and inability to extract mascara from the tube,” DuPont said.

The second Gold Award went to Axe and Lynx aerosol cans from UK-based Unilever. “The vibrant aluminum cans feature a squround (half square, half round) shape to deliver a unique look while accommodating the industry standard one- inch valve,” DuPont said. “The square body rotates to reveal the valve and trigger button, allowing consumers to experience the same twist-open action of the previous cans. As the body rotates, the button emerges from the flat top and tilts.”

The third Gold Award went to U.S.-based HotPot Design for the MiiSTS spray bottle. “The rough dimensions of a credit card and just 5mm thick at its thinnest point, MiiSTS is fitted with a pump housing that allows consumers to spray the product while keeping the package leak-proof,” DuPont said. “The precise engineering of the tight welds on the very thin corners of the injection molded, polypropylene bottle gives a smooth, virtually seamless, appealing finish.”

Fourth, from U.S.-based Pactech Packaging, a slider technology that allows products that had been previously packaged in child-resistant boxes or bulky plastic containers to be packaged in flexible packaging. “Produced in a variety of sizes from 8.5” x 5” to 13.5” x 18” with and without a standup gusset, the size of the package is scalable to the size desired by the end user,” DuPont said. “This allows end users to keep a consistent look to their package while sizing it right for their products.”

And fifth, from U.S.-based Medtronic CardioVascular and Prent Corporation, a packaging application for catheter tubes. “The new EnVeo R Packaging is designed with added functionality that helps streamline the valve preparation and loading process before surgery,” DuPont said.

SILVER AWARD WINNERS
An oral rehydration salt serum co-developed by Mix Pak Systems and Interpothek in Spain, the ORS package is a dual chamber pouch, with one compartment containing a precise dose of powder supplements and the other containing fresh water. “The two chambers are separated by a frangible seal, made with DuPont Surlyn resin, which can be opened by applying pressure on the water compartment,” DuPont said. “Once the seal is opened, both ingredients mix and the ORS is ready to be consumed.”

From Bemis Company, a new BelGioioso Mild Provolone package for cheese is made up of two individually-sealed compartments, designed to allow the user to easily peel and reseal the package 20 times or more with fingertip pressure. “Bemis’ SmartTack EZ Peel Reseal technology allows the individual cheese compartments to be sealed separately, preserving the freshness of the unused portion until opening and reducing food waste,” DuPont said.

From Gillette Company, U.S.-based Placon and Altona, Man.-based think4D Inc., the Gillette Venus Swirl package has a thermoformed lid that features a multi-dimensional silver ball printed and formed in precise detail to showcase the new FLEXIBALL design of the Venus Swirl razor. “Typically, sealing to an arched surface is challenging and results in high scrap rates,” DuPont said. “This challenge was solved by using think4D’s pack-out system in which the multi-dimensional lids are packed hot right off the thermoforming line. The residual heat enables the lids to maintain the desired arc and lie nicely on top of the arched trays, minimizing spoilage and maximizing automation efficiencies during the heat-sealing process.”

A fourth Silver Award winner is for the BBLUNT hair conditioner container from Godrej Consumer Products Ltd. and Classy Kontainers, both of India. “Polyethylene copolymer with the lowest modulus was chosen for the bottles, to provide great squeezability even at high wall thickness,” DuPont said. “However, the polyethylene copolymer made the surface dull and prone to scratching, so Godrej added a thin layer of DuPont Surlyn resin to deliver surface gloss, scratch resistance and a rich feel.”

Brazil-based firms Grupo Boticario and Ycar Artes Gráficas won for a new way to test lipstick that provides a simple sanitary experience. “The sampling lipstick is a single dose of lipstick ‘printed’ on coated cardboard through a process similar to graphic printing,” DuPont said. “To test, the consumer simply removes the plastic film, folds the cardboard in half and applies the lipstick directly to the lips, without needing to use fingers to spread the lipstick on. Each sampling lipstick is used once and then disposed.”

And Uflex Ltd., based in India, won for its Flex SafePack packaging application, designed to provide a barrier to moisture and water from entering into a cement bag. “In developing the SafePack, Uflex had to address two conflicting requirements: providing de-airation holes required for air to escape during filling and prohibiting moisture from entering into the bags during transportation,” DuPont said. “Uflex was able to achieve this challenge through optimized nano-embossing over a flexible extrusion layer, a technological achievement that also allows high definition graphics of up to 10 color printing, giving a premium look to a commodity product.”