At the 26th annual DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation ceremony on May 15, 16 awards were presented to companies from 11 countries.

According to DuPont, the event is the industry’s longest-running, global, independently judged competition awarding innovations in packaging.

The program received about 200 entries this year, the second highest in the program history.

Judges evaluated companies on three criteria—technological advancement, responsible packaging and enhanced user experience.

Several packaging innovations in the food and beverage industry were recognized with gold awards including VerDeSoft—Packaging Design and Technology of Germany, which won for its easy-squeeze pasta pouch. Other gold winners were Amcor Flexibles for its separable marinades pouch and Parakh Agro Industries, Ltd. for its flexible shelf-stable milk pouch.

“The Packaging Awards continue to celebrate innovation and champion collaboration,” says William Harvey, president of DuPont Packaging and Industrial Polymers. “We updated the award categories this year to reflect emerging trends and amplify the consumer’s role in driving innovation.”’

DuPont says consumer convenience earned high marks in the competition with 75 percent of the winning packaging solutions bringing a higher degree of convenience.

Silver award winners this year were:

• Ice River Springs Water Company Inc.: Green water cooler bottles made from 100 percent recycled material.
• Betamiel: Beeswax honey pots inspire to use waste material in packaging.
• Bemis, Tradbor: Fugini vegetables stand-up retort pouch, the first commercial retort flexible packaging in the Brazil food service industry.
• Nampak Plastics, Velocity: lightweight Infini plastic bottle.
• Curwood, Hillshire Brands: Microwavable sandwich pouch that keeps bread moist during heating.
• Clear Lam Packaging Inc., John B. Sanfilippo and Son Inc. and Spear Systems: PrimaPak peanut package combining rigid functionality with flexible savings.
• FFP Packaging Solutions Ltd., Faccenda ASDA and ULMA spa: Roast-in-the-bag chicken package that minimizes safety risks and maximizes convenience.
• Sigma Alimentos, Multivac and Winpak: Deli meat snap-top package that ensures freshness.
• Mondi, Mondi Coatings GmbH, Mondi Coating Zeltweg GmbH and Afripack Group: Soup packets designed for extended shelf life and environmental savings.
• PepsiCo, Stress Engineering and Tether: Lighter and stronger Gatorade bottle.

Photos and descriptions of the winners can be found here.