The Gold Award went to Tidy from dy-pack. It is a new construction to create leakage-free paper bags using a novel glue application technique. The glue is applied in a uniform manner which closes all loopholes and micro channels in the sack that were formerly nearly impossible to close. Leakages are thus minimized to almost zero, which further reduces dust during filling. This leads not only to better health conditions and more hygiene in the working environments, but also prolongs shelf life and enables reduced plastic barriers as well as a cleaner product presentation.

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The kraft paper waste bag won the Silver Award, and is in development by Nordic Paper in collaboration with the converter Jonsac, the municipality Karlstad and Paper Province. It aims to offer an environmentally friendly, paper-based alternative to plastic bags for non-recyclable household waste. The waste bag is sealable and made of strong kraft paper, so that it is cleaner to dispose of and easier to handle by the garbage collectors. It is also recyclable and biodegradable. The bag has recently been tested in selected households. As the trials went very well, its development will be continued.

The eco-friendly paper sack based on sugar beet fibre by Crown Van Gelder, Fiorini Packaging and Novidon received the Bronze Award as well as the Public Choice Award. The sack consists of three layers of Crown Native paper from Crown Van Gelder: 20% of the virgin wood fibre of this paper is replaced by local Dutch residual sugar beet fibre, which reduces the environmental footprint by 16%. The potato-starch-based paper sack glue is made by Novidon. With those components, Fiorini Packaging produces an open mouth sack, which is not only food safe, but also recyclable, compostable and perfectly printable.

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Gascogne presented their new GascoGreen Natur’All. Instead of an HDPE film, the sack has a coating for moisture protection. Less than 2% of the material for the final sack comes from fossil origin, thus resulting in a plastic-free, environmentally friendly packaging solution. The sack is suitable for contact with food and can be easily recycled, thanks to the absence of the free film.

Klabin presented the EkoMix dispersible bag for building materials. It is a brown kraft paper sack that can be fully incorporated into the concrete preparation process. This reduces waste disposal at the construction site and costs for logistics and reprocessing. The sack is made from renewable materials and offers an ecological and sustainable packaging option for cement and concrete sacks.

The Gold Award was presented to Mondi for EcoWicketBag. It is a paper-based alternative to the plastic wicket bags for daily hygiene articles such as nappies, toilet paper and kitchen tissues. Made from durable kraft paper in various sizes, EcoWicketBag keeps the products inside protected, while being recyclable in paper waste streams. This innovative product opens the door to paper-based packaging in the hygiene industry and it will be further developed.

The Silver Award went to dy-pack for gardyan, a brand-new paper sack for potting soil. It manages the challenge to pack soil with a moisture content of more than 50% and to protect it from the development of mould, sprouting of seeds and drying out, while at the same time guaranteeing a long shelf life. This 100% plastic-free sack is made from fibres from sustainable forestry, recyclable in paper waste streams and home-compostable. A well-thought-out solution that will open new markets for the industry.

Novidon received the Bronze Award for its sustainable paper sack adhesive Novinexx CPB Premium which has a carbon footprint that is more than 50% lower than traditional starch adhesives. Novinexx CPB Premium is made from side-stream potato starch. This makes it highly sustainable and also readily biodegradable according to the OECD 301 norm. Developed for the latest technologies, it can be used on roller and nozzle applicators, and decreases the splash behaviour and drying time. Other benefits of the product are less cleaning time, no paper penetration, high bonding strength and shorter setting time compared to conventional starch glues.

The Industry Special Award was given to Haver & Boecker for the Seal Calculator. It relates to a very large proportion of the European paper sack market using ultrasonic valve-sealing technology and touches the value chain from different angles. It is an interactive tool with which all influencing factors for improving the usage of seal technology are reported. This gives orientation for individual adjustments and decisions.

The Public Choice Award went to MoistShield® by Fiorini. MoistShield® is a special patented waterproof treatment which can be applied to any Fiorini sack to give it hydrophobic properties. MoistShield® is a plastic-free sack and, thanks to an environmentally friendly coating, the sack remains an ecological and recyclable product. The water is not retained by the paper but slips away due to the high surface tension. MoistShield® provides sacks with a longer shelf life and allows for high-quality printing.

Gascogne Sacs introduced GascoGreen PROTECT, a paper sack for the pet food market offering a long shelf life and recyclability all over Europe.

Brazil-based Klabin presented ECO Layer, a repulpable and recyclable barrier solution. It consists in a resinous paper with aqueous dispersion of polymers with additives, free of fluorine.  The ECO layer maintains the safety and protection of the bagged product and has a longer shelf life.

ERO Gluing Systems presented an efficient non-contact gluing solution for paper sacks that enables saving more than 50% of glue, total elimination of the residual glue disposing cost, heavy reduction of the set-up time, easy maintenance and cleaning operations.