German Packaging Award 2020: Krones wins in the “Sustainability” category

• On 25th August, the German Packaging Institute announced the German Packaging Award 2020 winners.
• Both Krones AG and its subsidiary, Dekron, can look forward to receiving an award in the “Sustainability” category.
• The prize-winning entry involves a beverage bottle, the design and lifecycle of which were comprehensively created in accordance with sustainability criteria.
• Both the bottle and all of the related technologies are already available as marketable products.

Each element designed with an eye to recycling

With the “3 Circles” bottle, all of the individual elements and the entire lifecycle were designed to be sustainable. It is made one-hundred percent out of recycled PET and it itself can be completely recycled again after use. Instead of having a label which is normally unable to be recycled, the bottle was decorated using a digital direct print. The inks used here dissolve in the recycling process without leaving any residues, meaning that the bottle material can be used once again for food packaging in the subsequent lifecycles without loss. A tethered cap was selected as the closure. This cap remains firmly attached to the body of the bottle after opening and thus meets the requirements of EU directive 2019/904.

Marketable overall concept from tried and tested technologies

The leitmotif of “sustainability” is also reflected in the artwork displayed on the bottle print and – in a slightly more subtle manner – in the design of the bottle body. For the globally recognised recycling icon provided the inspiration for the idea of the tripodal base. The same rings true for the shoulder area which is the shape of three rounded-off triangular areas and which generates a connection between the bottle neck and body area which is very unusual for PET bottles, but which remains harmonious.

The technologies for the production, decoration and recycling of the bottle are already available at Krones and Dekron as standard products. The recycled starting material, the specially designed preform, and the container and its decoration with environmentally friendly ink are all self-produced. “3 Circles“ is thus a marketable all-round concept for the sustainable packaging of beverages for commercial use in the beverage industry.

Greatest European performance showcase

The internationally advertised German Packaging Prize is sponsored by the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy and is viewed as being Europe’s greatest showcase of performance in the field of packaging. According to the German Packaging Institute, the variety of submissions was the greatest ever and the quality of innovations was at a very high level. The competition is open to companies, individuals and institutions, both domestic and abroad. The submitted entries are assessed by an independent jury. The 22 members originate from the industrial, trade, branded product and research sectors.