Award Criteria

This Award recognises outstanding achievements in packaging innovation across the full range of materials, structures, components and developments. The packaging should be enhanced by innovative design and thinking, demonstrate a significant advance in technology or material usage and should deliver significant benefit to the market place.

Entry Submitted By

Unique Class Plastics Aust. P/L (UCPA)

Package Title

Sure Seal Closure-Lightweight single piece plastic closure for Aust. Beverage Industry

Package Component Manufacturer

Unique Class Plastics Aust. P/L (UCPA)

Package Designer Functional

Vern Casey

Package Designer Graphic

Vern Casey

Package Owner

IP Co. Nominees P/L

Comments

After five years of testing and four modifications to the seal mechanism, Sure Seal has succeeded in delivering the first liner-less lightweight closure for carbonated drinks in Australia. Its predecessor used two component materials for the liner and cap which challenged recycling. Sure Seal has eliminated the wad liner altogether through some extraordinarily clever design engineering. The intricate inner profile of the cap seal successfully carries the pressure of the gas within carbonated drinks without leakage and subsequent problems of drinks going ‘flat’. This is a breakthrough for quality assurance and delivery of superior drinks. Equally impressive is the light-weighting achievement. At approximately 70% of the weight of the previous cap, the reduction in energy, materials, weight and cost for over four billion soft drinks, which are sold each year, is a considerable environmental saving. This is a great example of the potential of real packaging innovation.