Although it's not a lifesciences application, this package design is worth noting. Specifically, Smurfit Kappa’s winning “Christmas Bag-in-a-Box” holds products within an integrated shopping bag with handles pierced through the top of the box resulting in easy portability.
The addition of an integrated bag with handles has no limitations on the current packing process and throughout the supply chain the box remains perfectly manageable as it's stackable on a pallet, easy to fill and close, and can be efficiently transported.
The jury said, "It is a simple but innovative solution for a logistics issue. The combination of bag and box is very originally executed. This packaging solves a relevant issue in a practical manner. It's a vertical box instead of a horizontal box and has two handles."
Three other Smurfit Kappa designs were acknowledged as runner-ups:
- Anti-gliss system—A packaging design that guarantees optimal pallet stabilization when stacked in columns.
- 5-in-1 PC box—A package in which the EPS interior is replaced by a one-piece corrugated insert suited for five product variations resulting in a reduction of transport costs and a lower carbon footprint.
- Grasdoos—A patented, biological and biodegradable grasslawn in a box.
The NL Packaging Awards were introduced in 2016, and are the preeminent industry award for the packaging industry in the Netherlands. The second edition of the NL Packaging Awards took place March 16 in Hilversum.
