Awards: Silver Award—Packaging Excellence; Silver Award—Technical Innovation

Company: Emerald Packaging, Inc.; empack.com

Description: This innovative packaging material is an unsupported coextruded film containing 30% post-​consumer recycled (PCR) resin—a first in potato packaging. Developed in direct response to Walmart’s Project Gigaton initiative, which aims to reduce or avoid 1 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from the global value chain by 2030, the film demonstrates a major step toward sustainable packaging. The challenge was to maintain clarity, seal integrity, and impact resistance while incorporating recycled content. Through advanced resin engineering, the result is a durable, high-performance, and environmentally responsible packaging solution.

Award: Silver Award—Expanding the Use of Flexible Packaging

Company: Glenroy, Inc.; glenroy.com

Description: ByHeart’s Anywhere Pack from Glenroy introduces flexible packaging into an emerging market: infant formula. The flexible packaging combination of both a stickpack and a stand-up pouch stands out on a shelf dominated by rigid canisters. The pre-measured, easy-open stickpacks deliver convenience to busy parents while providing ByHeart with a unique packaging solution in a challenging market for emerging brands. The Anywhere Pack exemplifies packaging excellence by merging innovative design, advanced printing, and technical ingenuity while advancing flexible packaging on store shelves.

Award: Silver Award—Sustainability 

Company: TC Transcontinental Packaging; tctranscontinental.com/en-us/packaging

Description: The Cabot^® Creamery Vermont Seriously Sharp Cheddar Cheese, 8 oz., features sustainable packaging through the incorporation of post-consumer resin (PCR) content. The 30% PCR and barrier sealant deliver the same high moisture barrier and strong seal strength required for dairy packaging while supporting a circular plastics economy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions compared with 100% virgin films.

Company: Amcor Flexibles: amcor.com/afna

Description: The Amcor HealthCare™ Reclosable Pouch is designed to meet the growing demand for sustainable, high-barrier packaging for gummy vitamins in the consumer health market. Designed for recyclability, it qualifies for in-store drop-off through the polyethylene stream and has earned APR recognition and How2Recycle pre-qualification. Compared to HDPE and PET bottles, it offers a more eco-friendly solution. Its digital printing enables clear communication of dosage and supplement facts, while enhancing shelf appeal. Smaller brands like Sam & Leo benefit from its flexibility, making it ideal for short production runs and rapid market entry.