German Packaging Award 2020: Krones wins in the "sustainable development" category

§ The German Packaging Association announced the winners of the 2020 German Packaging Awards on August 25.

§ The Krones Group and its subsidiary Dekron won an award in the "sustainable development" category.

§ The product that has won this honor is a beverage bottle whose design and life cycle meet the requirements of sustainable development.

§ The beverage bottle and all related technologies are mature and marketable.

Every element of the bottle can be recycled

Each element of the "3 Circles" beverage bottle and the entire life cycle are based on sustainability: this beverage bottle is made entirely of recycled PET and can be recycled after use. And Krones also abandoned the usually non-recyclable labels, and instead used digital direct printing technology to decorate this beverage bottle. The ink of the direct Printing Label will be completely removed during the recycling process, and there is no residue. Therefore, this bottle material can be used for packaging food again in the subsequent life cycle without any loss. The cap is a bolt-on type. After opening, the cap is still firmly attached to the bottle, so it meets the requirements of EU Directive 2019/904.

The mature overall plan comes from the proven technology
The leading theme of "sustainability" is also reflected in the bottle's embossed pattern, and the bottle design faintly echoes this theme. The design inspiration for the three-legged bottom is derived from the well-known three-arrow recycling logo. This inspiration also applies to the bottle shoulder area, which connects the bottle neck of the PET bottle with the bottle body in a unique and harmonious way through three rounded triangular planes.

Krones and Dekron have now marketed the technology for producing, decorating and recycling this beverage bottle as a series of products. Recycled raw materials, specially designed preforms and containers, and environmentally friendly ink decoration technology are all made by Krones and Dekron. Therefore, "3 Circles" has become a mature and complete solution for sustainable beverage packaging in the market, which can be quickly commercialized and brought to the market.

The biggest award in the European packaging industry
The internationally renowned German Packaging Award has been strongly supported by the German Minister of Economic Affairs and Energy, and is the largest award in the European packaging industry. According to the German Packaging Association, the number of works competing for the award this year is the most in history, and the quality of innovation is also at a very high level. Enterprises, individuals and institutions from Germany and abroad can participate. The submitted works will be judged by an independent jury. The 22 members of the jury came from the fields of industry, trade, branding and scientific research.