BioPak and Caps & Closures have been listed as the two finalists from Australia and New Zealand for this year’s WorldStar Packaging Awards, organised by the World Packaging Organisation (WPO).

Two regional packaging specialists have been listed along with companies from Chile, China, Finland, Germany, Japan, Netherlands and Norway as finalists of the special categories: marketing, sustainability, accessible packaging and packaging that saves food. 

The winners – Gold, Silver and Bronze – of each category will be announced during WorldStar Gala Dinner together with the 228 winners of the WorldStar 2023. 

In a record edition, the awards registered 488 entries from 41 countries. In the previous edition (2022), there were 440 competitors from 37 countries

“It is amazing to see the number of successful and great packaging participating in these different and special categories. It is hard for the judges to decide, but WPO counts on the expertise of the professionals in each Working Group to select the best of the best,” WorldStar coordinator and WPO vice-president of events Soha Atallah said.

“The Special Categories reinforce the importance and power of the main trends in packaging,” WPO president Pierre Pienaar added.

“We highly recommend that companies apply for WorldStar. The process is simple, and WPO members in each country can give all the instructions. 

“It is important to remember that you can only apply if your packaging was awarded in a local competition recognised by WPO. Participating and winning WorldStar is a global recognition and puts your packaging at a different and prestigious level.”

Another category, traditionally announced during the award ceremony, is the President’s Award. From all entries, Pienaar chooses a packaging that represents the leading innovation and differentiation in the industry.

The complete list of finalists of WorldStar 2023 in special categories are:

Marketing

• ZRP Printing Group (China) – Flower tea gift box

• Deco Glas (Germany) – SE Mast-Jägermeister #savethenight edition thermochromic screen print on the glass bottle

• Pyroll Packaging (Finland) – Every bird is a special yoghurt cup paper-based lid designed by consumers/end-users

Sustainability

• Coca-Cola Tokyo Research & Development (Japan) – Coca-Cola label-free PET bottle

• BioPak (Australia & New Zealand) – Sugarcane pulp hot and cold cup lids

• Raja (Norway) – SeaStretch is the first manual stretch wrap made of paper

Accessible Packaging

• Caps & Closures (Australia & New Zealand) – EzyGrip

• The Salt Industry Center (Japan) – Shio Hitofuri one-shake (“hitofuri”) salt

• Toyo Seikan (Japan) – Finger-fitting tab for food can lid

Packaging that Saves Food

• Caps & Closures (Australia & New Zealand) – ThermoShield temperature monitoring system

• Masterpack Group (Netherlands) – Modified atmosphere technology

• Amcor Copperprotek (Chile) – LifeSpan copper-based film