Innovation and technology
The Group’s three broad objectives of reducing consumption of resources; minimising environmental impact; and increasing our product value, are supported by a number of additional long-standing objectives. By embracing the concept of “creating more value with less”, we are working with our suppliers and customers to reduce our impact elsewhere in the packaging value chain. Berry Astrapak put this commitment to action by holding a workshop with a major South African retailer, aimed at building capacity around product lifecycle management.
Gold Pack Awards
Since 2017, the South African Packaging Industry will hold its Gold Pack Awards competition every year as opposed to every second year, with the objective of acknowledging innovative packaging designs, and recognising members of the industry for outstanding contributions in the packaging sector. Entries are submitted from all over the country from manufacturers who are striving to put innovation into practice and offering customers product differentiation in the market.
2018 Gold Pack Awards
Marcom, Siqalo Foods and Verstraete-IML were awarded a joint gold medal at the 2018 IPSA Gold Pack Awards in the competitive Food category for outstanding tube packaging design for the Rama metallic in-mould labelled tubs.
The tub marks South Africa’s first metallic in-mould labelled tub, which has been achieved by overcoming the static electricity barrier characteristic in the process. The process has allowed Siqalo Foods the opportunity to consolidate their branding between margarine bricks and tubs.
A silver medal was awarded to Consupaq and CW Pharmaceuticals for the Nutri Women Derma Care tubes. Using simple clean printing, foiling, a well-chosen font and a “window” to view the contents, the skin care range was created. The printed tubes offer a price and process advantage, eliminating the need for a label without compromising print quality. The Judges’ comments further acknowledged that silkscreen printing could effectively deliver good design and continued development in the personal care market.
The Rooibos Spa Shower Butter and Hand Butter tubes saw Consupaq and Annique claimed the bronze medal. The intricate six-colour flexographic printing and recyclable LDPE illustrated power and versatility of the printing process and the converter’s skill to deliver quality graphics and fine printing on a difficult substrate and format.
2017 Gold Pack Awards
Consupaq and Clicks Group were awarded a gold medal at the 2017 IPSA Gold Pack Awards in the ultra-competitive Health, Beauty and Household category for outstanding tube packaging design for the Sorbet Man 3-in-1 Shower Gel range.
Elvin’s rPET Beverage Bottles, developed and manufactured out of the Plastech site in East London, won the silver medal in the Sustainability category. This is the first complete range of rPET beverage bottles to be produced in significant commercial quantities for the local market, representing a sustainable, cost-effective replacement for virgin PET without compromising manufacturing efficiencies or bottle performance.
Consupaq garnered two medals with their customers Annique and Johnson & Johnson, winning joint-bronze for the Rooibos Milk & Honey Hand Cream Tube and the Baby Jelly range respectively in the Health, Beauty and Household category.
Receiving a bronze medal for the Organics 1-litre Post-Consumer Recycled Shampoo and Conditioner bottle in the Sustainability category. Plastop and Unilever’s move to 50% rHDPE recycled content is in line with Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan, which encourages the use of recycled content that is diverted from landfill. The process provides an estimated saving of 90 tonnes of virgin material per annum.
2015 Gold Pack Awards
Danone Southern Africa “Ultramel Snack - UHT Cup”
A clever redesign has created a lightweight cup with an improved vacuum resistance allowing extended ambient shelf life for a product that retails in regions where cold chain control is poor.
Food category - Silver Judges' Special Mention Medal Save Food
Le Sel “Homme Range - Printed Tube”
Superb imagery using flexographic printing on to tubes is a first for South Africa.
Health, Beauty, Medical & Pharmaceutical category - Silver
Unilever South Africa “Deodorant Collation Tray”
This collation tray solves a 20-year-old problem for the secure transportation and display of roll on deodorants.
Transit category - Secondary Packaging, Industrial Electronics & Equipment - Bronze
Priontex “Operating Theatre Tray”
A new tray and mould design has delivered enhanced efficiencies for convertor and brand-owner. While stringent medical specifications limited the scope for redesign, the development of an angular mould insertion technique enabled a mould efficiency improvement of 300%.
Health, Beauty, Medical & Pharmaceutical category - Finalist
Elvin “100% rPET 1L Bottle”
This 100% rPET lightweight bottle is a sustainable, cost effective solution, replacing virgin PET without compromising manufacturing efficiencies or bottle performance.
Beverages Non-alcoholic category - Finalist
Raw material innovation
Green footprint and sustainability
Raw material prepared using “recipe” of materials: 60% virgin raw material, 40% regrind recycled material
Regrind comes from Berry Astrapak’s own internal recycling processes
Partnered with Extrupet, who create new raw material – PhoenixPET, a “food grade” recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate (rPET) resin and rHDPE recycled High Density Polyethylene
