A nylon solution to help people more easily transport water in impoverished areas around the world is the big winner of this year's DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation.
Called the Fritz Water Vest, the Diamond Award winner can carry up to 20 pounds of water easily and safely and is made by Solutions Inc.
"The Water Vest is a simplistic solution to a significant problem in the world. In developing the Water Vest, the company looked at packaging in its truest sense of delivering value to the consumer. The vest replaces the buckets that people use to carry and store water where clean water sources are far from their homes," Lead Judge David Luttenberger said in a video announcing the winner. "It reduces the physical stress that previous containers required and is a much easier way to carry 20 pounds of water.
"The multi-layer nylon structure provides a robust material suitable for multiple uses in rough environments. The anti-microbial agent in the structure inhibits the growth of mold, mildew and odors. The baffles throughout the vest prevent water from shifting the load during use. Together, these features provide a robust, hygienic and reusable carrying and storage pouch for water, helping to improve the lives of many people," said Luttenberger, also global packaging director of Mintel Group Ltd.
The DuPont Awards also recognized other packaging at three other levels of competition, Diamond Finalist, Gold and Silver awards. Here are the other plastics-related winners, along with comments from DuPont in the Diamond Finalist category:
Diamond Finalist
Cryovac OptiDure Abuse Bag from Sealed Air, USA. "This package represents a significant breakthrough in vacuum packaging for protein, where there is a typical industry leaker rate of three percent and a 1 percent reduction in leaker rates could eliminate $140 million in food waste globally."
Light-weight sustainable agrochemical auto-stackable 15 liter PET containers from Dow AgroSciences, Germany. "The containers provide considerable functionality in stacking and distribution and allow greater ease of product dispensing than traditional containers."
MGI JETvarnish 3D digital decoration process for folding cartons and labels from Marrs Printing & Packaging, USA. "This technology allows companies to achieve a premium branded look for their folding cartons and labels without the time, cost and expense of using traditional dies, screens or plates."
Plantic R: Ultra-high barrier renewable and recyclable packaging material from Kuraray (Plantic Technologies Ltd.), Australia. "The technology combines the best of recyclable materials (PET) and Plantic's bio based ultra-high barrier material, which dramatically increases the shelf life of packaged meats."
DuPont gave Gold Awards to the following:
