The winners of the 2023 European Carton Excellence Award (ECEA) were unveiled in Seville, Spain, on 21 September, recognising the innovation of the sustainable carton packaging industry over the last year. Hosted by Pro Carton – the European Association of Carton and Cartonboard Manufacturers – and the European Carton Makers Association (ECMA), the awards celebrate the crème de la crème of sustainable packaging.
Spain-based Alzamora Group’s luxurious three-dimensional spherical packaging solution for beauty brand GERnétic was crowned Carton of the Year, whilst Graphic Packaging International’s innovative Boardio™ fibre-based pack for Perfetti Van Melle Mentos gum won consumers over in the Public Award, as well as taking home the Sustainability Award.
All ECEA entries were judged according to various criteria, spanning graphic and structural design, production techniques, cost-efficiency, ecology, sustainability, innovation, safety and convenience. The jury panel consisted of Satkar Gidda, Chair of the judges and consultant for branding and design; Susanne Lippitsch of SL DESIGN and leading packaging designer; and Unilever’s Sanjeev Das, Global Packaging Director in the Foods and Ice Cream business. Presenting the awards in Seville were Michele Bianchi, President of Pro Carton; Jean-François Roche, President of ECMA, and Horst Bittermann, Director General of Pro Carton.
The Carton of the Year winner combined high-end luxury with an interesting and structural design. Alzamora Group skilfully crafted the elegant GERnétic packaging solution from a single piece of Stora Enso virgin fibre cartonboard. It not only protects the product, but also presents it as a beautiful gift.
Commenting on the Carton of the Year, the jury panel said, “GERnétic is an expertly designed package: a lot of skill is required to create a three-dimensional spherical shape from just a single piece of cartonboard without the use of any glue. This is the perfect demonstration of how you can achieve incredible results with cartonboard.”
