News and press releases

Once again, sustainability is the common denominator in practically all of the award-winning solutions, which also provide interesting innovations in ergonomics, functionality, graphics and design, and logistical optimisation. In packaging, the use of mono-materials, mainly cardboard, or 100% recycled and recyclable plastic materials stands out. There is also a trend towards reducing the quantity and weight of raw materials used or the elimination of superfluous elements, as well as the introduction of more efficient manufacturing processes and printing with more environmentally friendly inks and varnishes. POS work is opting for self-assembly solutions, mainly in cardboard, which are highly visible, strong and durable, and have a lower environmental impact.

Growing participation
This edition of the competition, organised by the Spanish Packaging Association of Graphispack Association and the Hispack trade show , attracted 142 entries from companies and schools from all over Spain, 16% more than last year. After evaluating each product, the jury awarded 31 prizes in the packaging speciality, eight in the POS section and six in “Young Design”.

The categories with the highest number of awards were food and logistics packaging, with seven trophies each, followed by beverages (4). The competition also recognised packaging in the health (2), household (1), premium (3), Save food (1), labelling (2), ecommerce (1), digital packaging (1), miscellaneous (1) and process/machinery innovation (1) categories. In the POS speciality, three prizes were awarded to works in the food sector, two to health and beauty, one to pharmacy and parapharmacy, one to household products and one to miscellaneous (other sectors).

Among the awarded companies there are some with more than one Liderpack as Adaequo, which has been the big winner this year with five trophies, followed by Smurfit Kappa with four, Rotorprint, three, and International Paper, Coreti, DS Smith Tecnicarton and Hinojosa Packaging Group, two each. The other award-winning companies are: Altavia Iberica, Alzamora Group, Climesa, Codintec, Copack, DeBonaTinta Estudi Gràfic, Estúdio Gráfico 21, Flexomed, Garrofé, Gráficas Varias, Grupo Fatecsa, L’Estudi Creatiu, Mr. Ripley, Ovelar, Sleever International, Studio One Eleven, Tot Display, Vegabaja Packaging and Wondu.

Access to the WorldStar for Packaging Awards
The Liderpack Awards are the only Spanish awards that allow companies to participate in the WorldStar for Packaging Awards organised by the World Packaging Organization (WPO). The companies awarded in the Liderpack in the speciality of packaging can present themselves individually to this contest to which works from more than 35 countries compete. The deadline for entries is 15 October.

In the category for students, called “Young Design”, in which 18 finalist projects competed in the 13th National Awards for Packaging Design and Sustainability organised by the Packaging Innovation Cluster of Valencia, the winners were projects developed by students from the Polytechnic University of Madrid, Mondragon Unibertsitatea, the University of Zaragoza and Elisava. The six winning projects in the “Young Design” category automatically participate in the WorldStar Student Awards, the packaging competition for students from all over the world.

The Liderpack 2023 Awards ceremony will take place next May at Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via venue during Hispack 2024, Spain’s largest packaging, process and logistics trade fair and one of the top three in Europe in its speciality. As part of the ceremony, the “Best in Show” awards will also be unveiled and presented to the two Packaging and POS creations that have stood out the most among all the winners of the Liderpack 2023 awards.

Organised by the Spanish Packaging Association of Graphispack Association and the Fira de Barcelona’s trade show Hispack since 1995, the Liderpack Awards are the most important awards given in Spain in the fields of packaging and POS. Each year they promote and recognise the innovation and creativity of companies and professionals involved in the manufacture and design of packaging, labels and POS elements in Spain.

Barcelona, September 2023

Maria Dolores Herranz
Tel. 93 233 25 41
mdherranz@firabarcelona.com

List of winning entries in the Liderpack Awards 2023

PACKAGING
– Sleeve “Y volarás” -(Ovelar) printed in flexography and screen printing to achieve different reliefs and textures to highlight the wine brand. Includes pre-cut line to facilitate the separation and recycling of the film from the bottle.
– Chica. Sublimation of the senses” (Codintec) box with premium ecological infusions of various flavours in which the labelling is made from sustainable, textured and recycled material that incorporates a Braille system without the use of inks.
– Sleeve Leche Pascual (Sleever Internacional) The traditional white milk bottle is replaced by another made from 100% recycled and recyclable plastic, which incorporates this sleeve with 30% recycled material, barrier properties and a paper-like appearance.
– 100% recyclable Bag-in-Tube for liquids (Fatecsa Group) Cylindrical recyclable cardboard container for storing and dispensing liquids. It is easy to assemble, without the need for machines to make the final closure of the case.- OliverOnda (Coreti), a digitally printed velvety label with gold embossing and silkscreen varnish for a spectacular tactile and visual result to make this premium olive oil bottle stand out on the shelf.
– IP Millenium Box (International Paper) – Food packaging with structural enhancements for automatic boxing. Increases the rigidity and strength of the box for correct strapping and optimal and functional group stacking.
– Pack Honey (Estúdio Gráfico 21), premium cardboard box to contain single-dose packs of different varieties of honey.
– Recyclable coffee pack (Rotorprint), recyclable high barrier mono-material pack for single-dose packs of coffee capsules. Allows the application of degassing and zip valves.
– Panettone 118 (Mr. Ripley) Packaging to contain the best chocolate Panettone in Spain 2022 made by Eric Ortuño at L’Atelier Barcelona. The self-assembly square box, printed on both sides, allows the product to be transported comfortably and elegantly, served directly at the table and any leftovers to be kept. It is also designed for in-store display. The design plays with the word Pantone/Panettone.- Granja San Francisco (L’Estudi Creatiu) cardboard packaging for honey. 100% recyclable cardboard packaging for honey. The packaging materials are of vegetable origin. The inside of the packaging is covered with a sheet of sugar cane to protect the honey.
– Halloween pumpkin for Fini sweets (Flexomed). Industrially made entirely of cardboard. It can be reused as a lantern if a light is added inside.
– Lancôme Renergie HPN eco-luxury case (Adaequo). Design with impact and high quality presence. The recycled and recyclable glass container is refillable and weighs 30% less. The case is composed of a lid and base with a mirrored display containing product information.
– High barrier recyclable stick suitable for pharmaceutical products (Rotorprint). It does not contain aluminium or polyester so it can be recycled. Raw material usage is reduced by more than half.
– Sustainable packaging for single-dose detergent (Hinojosa Packaging Group). Cardboard dispenser packaging that can be applied to products with the same characteristics. The amount of plastic used is reduced. It has a moisture-proof inner side and includes a childproof safety opening system.
– AVOE Ella L’Ariadna (DeBonaTinta Estudi Gràfic). Packaging design for premium oil. The blue bottle is presented inside a wooden box to be reused as a nesting house for small birds. The label is an allegory to the family with the illustration of some charcoal burners flying among the olive trees.
– Obsession (Studio One Eleven). Packaging and branding for Obsession gin inspired by the glass palaces of the late 19th century. The botanical and exotic label recreates the Garden of Eden and the fable of Adam and the apple.
– Welcome pack Beso Perfume (Garrofé). Presentation pack for this line of perfumes made with green energy in natural textured material, from leather waste and recycled fibres. It has different levels: A rigid lid that unfolds to form a display stand. An interior with compartments to hold brochures and a drawer with the fragrance bottles.
– Disber Christmas basket (Hinojosa Packaging Group). Separator and cardboard box that solves the process of adding the perishable products that make up the Christmas basket or corporate gifts at the last minute without depalletising, removing strapping or opening the box.
– Large packaging for vehicle chassis 100% made of cardboard (DS Smith Tecnicarton). A lightweight solution that replaces metal packaging or packaging with EPS, EPP or wood positioners. It is made of single-use cardboard and includes self-assembling positioners, also made of cardboard, allowing direct delivery on the assembly line.
– Self-assembly corrugated cardboard box for electric car charger with template for installer (DS Smith Tecnicarton). In addition to protecting the product, it allows the charger to be fixed to the wall and is easy to dismantle.
– Lid for paella transport (Copack). Easy and quick to use, customisable cardboard lid, which adjusts to different paella sizes, and which has some alveoli to let the heat and steam out, as well as some protrusions that can be used as gloves to avoid getting burnt by the handles. Replaces aluminium and plastic
– Twin Pizza Box (International Paper). Project to optimise the standard pizza box to be able to transport two pizzas in the same packaging.
– T9 E-Scooter Box (Smurfit Kappa). Reusable solution ideal for the e-commerce channel for personal mobility vehicles. The box efficiently organises all scooter components, reducing the total length to less than 120cm. It has a special protection area for the screen.
– Zoetis grouper (Alzamora Group). Cardboard solution for the veterinary sector that eliminates the need for plastic trays for transporting glass bottles. It has a base and a lid to protect and stabilise the bottles.
– AgroLife® (Smurfit Kappa). 100% biodegradable, recyclable paper suitable for contact with food that is integrated into cardboard boxes and trays for packaging and transporting fruit. Functionally, it absorbs the ethylene produced naturally by the fruit, delays ripening and reduces the risk of shrinkage, making it the ideal solution for export and long-distance logistics chains.
– rPET Vacsac (Climesa). Fully recyclable flexible container made from 117 recycled bottles.
– Single-material recyclable pharmaceutical blister (Rotorprint). Manufactured entirely in PET. It does not include an aluminium lid, so it is possible to recycle it and reduces the consumption of materials and the weight of the packaging. It is a high barrier container for the preservation of medicines. It incorporates a laser pre-cut to easily extract the tablets.
– TUPack (Smurfit Kappa). Cardboard packaging for two-bottle packs for online commerce. One-piece structure that adapts to bottles of different sizes and ensures the stability of the product during transport.
– Drops (Gráficas Varias). Label for Drops herbal liqueur. Made from 100% recycled fibre paper. Irregular and textured surface. Precisely inserted firefly as a central motif that stands out for the graphic resources used.
– OliverOnda (Coreti), a digitally printed velvety label with gold embossing and silkscreen varnishes that achieve a spectacular tactile and visual result to highlight this premium olive oil bottle on the shelf.
– Intelligent packaging for traceability control (Vegabaja Packaging). A system that uses unique and variable QR codes in order to control stocks, avoid shrinkage and track each of its products throughout the supply chain.

YOUNG DESIGN
– Redesign take away Asian food” (María Azañón, Alba López and Javier Maldonado from the Polytechnic University of Madrid). This project eliminates the plastic packaging used in the take away food service and creates a modern, clean and ergonomic design adapted to the user. It consists of a bag with a smile-shaped handle that is closed with chopsticks and includes three primary containers, two for hot food and one for cold food, guaranteeing its correct conservation until the final delivery. It is made of multilayer cardboard made from renewable wood fibre, and finished with water-based dispersion technology that makes it resistant to liquids and grease.
– SliverTiming (Ana Barrueco, Constanza Frías, Virginia Martín and Loreto Miguel of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid) Refillable packaging for shampoo in the shape of an hourglass, which thanks to its outer casing can measure 30-second periods, ensuring compliance with the times necessary for the correct use of the product. This packaging is not only reusable, but it is also a marketing strategy that surprises the consumer with its unique and different design.

– Box 312 (Pablo Alfonso, Carlos Gutiérrez, Eva Lawn and Victorina del Carmen Parra of the Polytechnic University of Madrid.) Packaging for bulk fruit and vegetables suitable for distribution and display in shops. It is made up of shovels that function both as a display and as a tool for consumers to help themselves to the fruit of their choice.
– Magma (Natale Armendariz, Maider Armentia, Oier Bengoetxea and Itziar Sanchez from Mondragon University). Translucent, refillable, single-material, 100% recycled and recyclable plastic packaging for protein products. Minimalist aesthetics and easy stackability. Snap closure, integrated spoon in the lid and ergonomic shape.
– Redesign Eco1 Box (Irene Camañes, Ana Cuenca, Sara Fuentelsaz and Ana Covadonga from the University of Zaragoza). Reusable, assemblable and disassemblable packaging, with a complete folding capacity. The box has staples that can be stretched, making it suitable for both storage and shipping without the need for the user to use tools or excessive force to disassemble it. In addition, the elastic staple creates a different brand image which, together with the handmade-looking boards, reflects the company’s values.

– Hopi (Anna Calatayud, María Gómez, Sílvia Serrat de Elisava) Refillable packaging solution for personal hygiene products made from 100% recycled and recyclable materials. It consists of two interlocking containers which, when separated, can be used at home (larger format) or on the go (travel format).

Point of Sale (POS)
– Versa Tasting Counter (Wondu.). Case that transforms into a sturdy counter for food tasting products. Quick and intuitive assembly without tools. Recyclable.
– Nuri Display (Smurfit Kappa). Very visual solution of cardboard in a nest with an edging strip. It simulates a tin can like the product it contains. It has four shelves to hold up to 160 units. Delivered assembled.
– Cardboard Donuts Van – Bimbo Donuts Iberia (Tot Display.) Easy to assemble cardboard display that replicates the original 2CV Donuts delivery van. It is very versatile to place the amount of product you want to display depending on the format and size of the shop.
– Nuxe Prodigioso 2023: HP+ Roulette (Adaequo, S.L.). Display that incorporates gamification elements seeking interaction with the customer. It manages to increase visibility and reinforce the concept of dry oil as a daily moisturising treatment.
– Animation Lancôme Summer (Adaequo, S.L.) set of elements simulating suitcases and travel boots for the summer campaign with a display of fragrance and make-up products. They incorporate leatherette handles and chromed metal terminals.
– Jean Paul Gaultier – Pride display stand (Adaequo, S.L.) Table-top display stand designed in multi-material (cardboard, methacrylate). The rough varnish on the methacrylate base gives a concrete effect.
– Headboard for commercial surface (Altavia Ibérica.). Digitally printed cardboard display that saves 52% in production costs compared to the previous version made of melamine with printed vinyl. Logistical costs are also reduced by 60% as it is delivered disassembled. It incorporates a blue LED strip to highlight the furniture.
– Fictitious Giant BB/GG (Adaequo, S.L.). Large-format reproductions of Carolina Herrera’s BB and GG fragrances. Stiletto built with aluminium moulds from 3D printing.

Barcelona, September 2023

Images of the winning entries available here