Closures with reusable magnets that change our concept of using packages of wipes or large-format water bottles that fold as they are emptied. These are some of the innovations that have been proclaimed winners in the XIII National Awards for Design and Sustainability of Containers and Packaging.
The awards ceremony, which took place in Valencia with more than 250 attendees, was attended by the Regional Secretary for Sustainable Economy, Productive Sectors, Commerce and Consumption of the Generalitat Valenciana, Empar Martínez; the president of the Packing and Packaging Innovation Cluster, Amaya Fernández, the entity that promotes these Awards, and the director of the Cluster, Jesús Pérez.
These awards have the support of Grupo La Plana, Hinojosa, the ESIC business school and the ITENE technology center, as well as the collaboration of Ecoembes, Flexográfico, Grabalfa, Upalet, Biconsulting, Limitronic, Siegwerk and MESbook. They are also financed by the Ministry of Sustainable Economy, Productive Sectors, Commerce and Labor of the Generalitat Valenciana.
Ubesol, Solan de Cabras, Trolli, Grupo la Plana and J2 Servid They have been the companies that have launched their challenges to students in this edition. A) Yes, 614 students of over 30 educational centers They are the ones who have finally presented their projects to respond to the challenges posed in an innovative way.
A design that changes the ideal closure concept for wipes
The challenge proposed by the Valencian ubesol, manufacturer of hygiene, cosmetic and health products, has been to improve the sustainability of its packaging, specifically to obtain a reusable lid that guarantees sealing. The first prize has been for Ariadna Montiel and Cesar Izquierdo, students of the Universitat Jaume I with your project IMANtap.
A solution that, using magnets, makes it possible to reuse the covers from one package to another. In addition, two tabs have been added to the design to ensure that the wipes are removed one at a time and that several do not come out at the same time.
On the other hand, María López from the Polytechnic University of Madrid for her "Eco-cap" project, and Lucia Seco, Aitana Alonso and Mar Peloche from the Polytechnic University of Valencia, have obtained a Second Prize in this category.
Circularity in the bottled water sector
About us Sole of goats has proposed to the students a demanding challenge in which they had to create a large format for household water consumption, which despite its volume was easy to handle. In this challenge, the first prize went to Laura Colastra and Javier Piquer from the Universitat Jaume I with their W-BOT project.
A new concept of water bottle based on a folding system by crushing, which achieves a considerable reduction in its volume while it is being emptied, thus facilitating its usability at all times. It also includes a cap that allows water to be dispensed directly from the refrigerator or any other space.
In this challenge, Ana Isabel Gaviria from the Complutense University of Madrid and Oxel Pereda, Jon Zamakola and Danel Cid from the Mondragon Unibertsitatea with their project "Solan Eco Can" have obtained the second prize.
A disruptive solution for sweets
The multinational Trolls confectionery specializing in jelly beans, has challenged students to adapt their 3D candy packaging with the aim of improving and facilitating the industrial handling of the sash of these packages. The winning project has been Boom by Helena Pueyo, María Valdrés, Manuel Seguín and Sandra Rivero from the University of Zaragoza.
Its innovative design stands out for being divisible, allowing the user to have a wide range of possibilities to manipulate it. It has also managed to stand out for being a sustainable, automatable, recyclable, light and stackable packaging. It also includes a game with the purchase of the group pack to gamify the consumption of these sweets.
In addition, the projects of the University of Valladolid “Friends”, by Lucía Abajo, Cristina Díez and Alicia Bruña, have obtained the Second Prize in this category; and “Eye Cards” by the students María Jiménez, Sara Fernández and Pablo González.
Container for fruits that allows to store the remains
The signature challenge La Plana Group, dedicated to the manufacture of corrugated and compact cardboard containers and packaging, has been focused on finding new containers for fruit. The first prize has been for the Fruit Bite project by students Leyre Gayarre, Iván Hernando, Ana Estornés and Óscar Apellániz from the University of Zaragoza. The winning proposal consists of a compact cardboard tray to contain a portion of fruit. It has a large format to be able to consume the product wherever you want that allows you to store the remains (in the case of strawberries, grapes or cherries) and another small one that does not require it (for blueberries, raspberries or blackberries).
Here, the Accésit prizes have been awarded to the project “Corasón de Carballo” by Xulia Nieto from the EASD Ondara School and “Fruit, Vegetable Pack Box” by Emma Miñes, Andrés Marcén, Cintia Sanz and Guilhem Huertas from the University of Zaragoza.
Redesign for the safety of products during transport
Finally, J2 Serve, company specializing in the packaging market for the protection of goods during transport, has challenged students to improve their goods protection system in a sustainable way. In this challenge, the first prize went to Niupack C by the students Pau García and José Ramón López from the Universitat Jaume I.
A project that has made it possible to improve its current system with a practical and functional model. It is a protective packaging with a mesh of different thicknesses and holes compatible with a wider range of products, with a fully collapsible lid, which can be reused between five and six times.
The Accésits in this challenge have been for Raquel Sánchez, Teresa Nieto and Marina Vega with their project "Niupack Multi-Pack" and the project "Niupack-Modular System" by Juan Fuentes, Elsa Colina and Alberto Álvarez, both from the University of Valladolid .
Cantera Cluster Plan Award
In addition, this gala has once again awarded the Cantera Cluster Plan Award for which one of the participating students has been awarded a scholarship to complete the Master in Management [MBM] taught by ESIC Business & Marketing School. A scholarship valued at €21.200 whose winner was María López Rojo of the Polytechnic University of Madrid.
Finally, the winners and finalists of these awards go directly to the final of the category reserved for young people of the Awards Liderpack. In turn, among the projects presented, the Spanish representatives will be selected in the World Star Student Awards.
