La XI edition of the National Awards for Design and Sustainability of Container and Packaging has awarded sustainable packaging, made with new materials, which take into account the User Experience (UX) in the 'unboxing' of ecommerce products and are returnable.
These awards are an initiative of the Cluster of Innovation in Container and Packaging and they are possible thanks to the support of Ecoembes; the companies Hinojosa Packaging Solutions and Improven; and the ESIC Business & Marketing School. The firms Tecnobox, Flexográfico Packaging, MESbook, NonSlip Iberia, Biconsulting and the ITENE technology center also collaborate.
In this edition, more than 600 students from 26 universities and training schools throughout Spain have participated to solve the packaging challenges that five top-level companies have launched, such as Logifruit, Industrias Alegre, Natra, Apisol and Eurobox .
The winners
The winning work of the challenge of logifruit has been the project 'Bambox' by Sofía Nieves, Ana Tudo and Javier Redondo de la University of Zaragoza. The proposal consisted in the development of a packaging that was isothermal for use in the last mile of food products. It is a reusable box, made with only two materials and with an easy-to-handle and stack structure. The main novelty is that the insulation system is made of bamboo, a 100% biodegradable and reusable material.
The winners have carried out studies to show that a thin layer of bamboo works as an insulator, but also increases the hygiene and quality of the food it contains, protecting them from the migration of particles. The packaging includes an empty chamber to achieve efficient, sustainable and hygienic insulation. It includes NFC technology to control temperature and is an eco-friendly alternative to current refrigerant containers.
In the challenge proposed by Alegre Industries, the winning work has been 'Eco-Hybrid Box', by Irene Hinojosa, Ana Tudo, Daniel Peris and Javier Redondo University of Zaragoza. It is a versatile returnable packaging for e-commerce that takes into account both the optimization of the logistics chain with the elimination of extra packaging, as well as the User Experience.
A sustainable packaging specifically designed to improve the 'unboxing experience' of chocolates for the Japanese market is the winner of the challenge posed by the multinational natra. The winners have been Cristina Meléndez, Ander Otegi and Endika from Mondragon University, with the project 'IRO '.
It is a cylindrical cardboard and paper container with a casing that rotates to exchange the body and the head of the drawings, seeking to interact with the user. Its range of three different colors gives a personal touch and variability to the gift, being able to adapt the gift to the context thanks to the various color connotations. Thus, the user can give away the red container when he wishes good health, the blue one when he wishes good luck and the green one when he wishes happiness. 
In the case of apisol, beekeepers since 1912, the winning design is a new concept of packaging for honey that represents a revolution in the sector since the dosing jar was invented. The winning work is the project 'Izadi' by Andrea Arruti, Julen Hernández and Hugo Ostiza, from Mondragon University.
They have proposed a container made with sustainable materials, such as stainless steel, wood and glass. It is a totally recyclable and refillable container, with a dispenser designed so that, when the honey is finished serving, it returns to the inside of the jar without staining the exterior of the container, in this way the user does not have to worry about cleaning the jar .
The project Layer_Bx by Eva Milan, student of the Madrid Higher School of Design, has been the winner of the challenge proposed by the company eurobox.
Cantera Cluster Plan Award
Also, to seek that link between the business and economic world, the Plan Cantera Cluster Award has been created: the Container and Packaging Cluster grants one of the participating students for the completion of the Master in Management [MBM] taught by ESIC Business & Marketing School. The winner was Ana Tudo Bitrián, a student at the University of Zaragoza.
The Scholarship for the winning student is for the total tuition for the course, valued at € 20.000. In addition, during the duration of the Master, they will carry out internships in the Container and Packaging Cluster.
