At the WorldStar Awards held in Australia, the World Packaging Organisation (WPO) recognised Sealed Air with awards across five countries for its innovative solutions in packaging and food categories.
Sealed Air New Zealand (Hamilton) took out a gold medal at the awards for its Fresh Technologies and Sealed Air Cryovac Freshness Plus design. It joined other Sealed Air award winners from Germany, Singapore, Spain, and Australia.
Kevin Piccione, vice president for Sealed Air Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Korea, says, “Together with our New Zealand and Australian representatives, who attended the WPO awards for the first time this year, I was delighted that Sealed Air NZ’s Cryovac Freshness Plus achieved gold for the WPO “Packaging that Saves Food Waste” award.
“We were thrilled to win such prestigious recognition for a product which truly made a difference to our customer, Fresh Technologies, extending shelf life of its guacamole product from 30 to 90 days. This new film technology utilises active as opposed to passive barrier components in the packaging structure to achieve this threefold shelf life extension. It addresses the reduction of food waste, extension of the addressable distribution area, and has helped Fresh Technologies grow its business. We love being part of success stories like this where everyone wins.”
Karl Deily, president of food care at Sealed Air, says, “Innovation and sustainability are at the heart of how Sealed Air is approaching the future, so we’re especially honoured by this recognition. This multi-country recognition of our products and technologies showcases how our solutions can help solve problems like food waste and food safety, and at the same time help our customers reduce their own impact to the environment.”
The Sealed Air New Zealand gold medal winner had already won a Packaging Innovation Design Award which enabled it to gain entry into the WorldStar Awards. An Australian company, Woolcool Australia, also shortlisted in the same category and received the bronze special award. With only four finalists globally for this special award category, it marks a significant achievement for the Australia and New Zealand packaging industries and for the Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP) and New Zealand Packaging Council, having promoted the industry through PIDA.
The Packaging Innovation Design (PIDA) Awards forms the exclusive feeder programme for both Australia and New Zealand each year into the WorldStar Packaging Awards. The winners and high commendations for the 2018 PIDA Awards have eligibility to enter the 2019 WorldStar Awards.
