Van Genechten Packaging’s approach to award-winning packaging

The company – headquartered in Belgium – took both the top title, and the Save the Planet award for its innovative FlatSkin®, fresh food packaging at Europe’s most respected annual awards organised by Pro Carton and the European Carton Makers Associations (ECMA). With the 2019 awards now open for entry, the packaging company shared some of the secrets to their success.

Executive director of Van Genechten Packaging, Frederic de Somer, said increasing the share of reusable packaging, choosing renewable packaging materials and giving more and clear communication to consumers are key factors in designing packaging that appeals to consumers today. “Consumers really appreciate packaging that is recyclable and from a renewable source, like folding cartons,” he said, adding: “Sustainability is a challenge that is high on every manufacturer’s agenda. It requires continuous effort, along with new, creative ways of thinking.”

“Folding cartons deliver benefits generated across our customers’ entire supply chain: From keeping their products safe and optimising shelf-impact, to protecting our precious environment. No wonder we are seeing more brand owners making the switch to folding cartons.”

Frederic de Somer stressed that to win the award, manufacturers should focus on “developing innovative and practical packaging solutions; applying a customer-centric approach and enhancing the customers’ and partners’ brand attractiveness.”

Van Genechten Packaging’s Moët – 6 Mini Moët pack The Mini Moët pack that took top prize contains six mini bottles of Moet Imperial and six mini golden flutes. The boldly-branded ‘party box’ pack keeps the bottles perfectly positioned and protected when in transit, while the insert can be removed to turn the pack into an ice-bucket. Made from cartonboard manufactured by BillerudKorsnäs, the judges described it as ‘like opening a box of treasure’.

The FlatSkin® pack was developed in association with Sealpac GmbH of Oldenburg. Suitable for almost any fresh food – including meat and seafood, it has a powerful PoS presence and is printed on both sides using low-migration inks yet uses 75% less plastic compared to a conventional tray or shrink packaging. The board was again supplied by BillerudKorsnäs. The integrated recycling tab enables consumers to easily split both materials for recycling.

Tony Hitchin, General Manager of Pro Carton said: “Both the Mini Moët and FlatSkin® packs are perfect examples of how packaging makers can contribute more to the circular economy through ingenious design that appeals to consumers and to our judges too!”

Entries are now open for the European Carton Excellence Awards 2019 and the awards will recognise and reward the most innovative concepts in both virgin fibre and recycled cartonboard.

For more than 20 years, the awards have recognised brands embracing cartonboard packaging, and reward true sustainability in design, thanks to the material’s renewable, bio-degradable and recyclable qualities.