Administered and hosted by the Paperboard Packaging Council (PPC) and judged by a jury of packaging professionals, industry experts, and professors, the North American Paperboard Packaging Competition is the premier competition for carton manufacturers involved in the concept, design, print, performance, and shelf appeal of paperboard packaging.

At the awards ceremony held at the PPC Fall Conference and Leadership Meeting in Austin, Texas on October 26th, Graphic Packaging took home a host of awards, including:

Package of the Year award for its Mentos Gum Boardio™ canister.  

This product is the first in the gum category from a major global confectioner to be delivered in a paperboard bottle, consisting of more than 90% renewable fiber from sustainably managed forests. The pack replaces the previous rigid plastic tub. Its sidewall, top and bottom components are shipped flat, reducing storage and transport requirements by 95%.   

Innovation of the Year went to Graphic Packaging’s Take Smart Fridge Beer Pack. 

When Brazilian start-up Take and Go Comercio de Bebidas Ltd (Take) developed a mobile app to interact with vending machine-style fridges that dispense six-packs of their beer, they needed a new, innovative pack.  

The Take Smart Fridge Beer Pack is a six-bottle clip in which the bottle tops extend through the top of the package, allowing the smart fridge technology to read the bottle caps and charge the customer the correct amount. Glued sleeves slide down over the neck of each bottle with small tabs encircling the top holes. This prevents the bottles from sliding out of the clip, providing a safe and secure package that the customer can carry with confidence. 

The Richard Depaul Award for Creative Converting and Design was won by the White Castle Love Cube. Every Valentine’s Day since 1991, White Castle has transformed its restaurants into fine dining establishments with host seating, tableside service, and festive decor. But when the pandemic closed dining rooms, White Castle wore its heart on its sleeve by partnering with Graphic Packaging to create the Love Cube and continue the tradition in a take-out-only environment. 

The pack is a combination of three separate cartons: a base that holds eight sliders and two smaller cartons, attached to the sidewalls, that hold side dishes like fries or mozzarella sticks. Sticking to the Valentine’s Day theme, the Love Cube’s bright pink boxes are whimsically decorated with bricks and a drawbridge to look like a castle. Making it a marketing tool as well as an effective package, consumers were invited to share their photos on social media using #LoveCastle. It was a Valentine’s gift that everyone coveted. 

Ricardo De Genova, Graphic Packaging’s senior vice president, global innovation & new business, commented: “Our design and innovation teams are continually striving to create packaging that reduces plastic, delivers innovation and excites consumers.  

“Our success in these awards reinforces what we have believed all along that our products address real consumer needs and can make a positive difference in our world. We’re thrilled to have received these awards.” 

Graphic Packaging also won: 

• Gold award for the Boardio canister for Club Coffee 
• Excellence award (Sustainability) for the Nestlé Easter Egg packs 
• Excellence award (Sustainability) for the Three Fold Hard Seltzer 6-Can Pack 
• Excellence award for the Andros Foods USA Bonne Maman Made-For-You Gift Carton 
• Excellence award for the Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts & Rice Krispies Treats 24-Day Snack Calendar