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The Most Innovative Packaging

Wednesday, 10 September 2014 was an exciting day. Not just for me, but for the finalists and the jury of the Packaging Innovation Contest De Gouden Noot 2014. The ten finalists came to Gouda to try to convince the jury that their packaging is the most innovative. This was no easy task – not least […]

Wednesday, 10 September 2014 was an exciting day. Not just for me, but for the finalists and the jury of the Packaging Innovation Contest De Gouden Noot 2014. The ten finalists came to Gouda to try to convince the jury that their packaging is the most innovative. This was no easy task – not least because there are no categories in our packaging innovation contest. We try to compare all the different types of packaging, whether B2B or consumer, food or non-food, pharmaceuticals and so on with each other and determine which one is the most innovative.

That means, for example, that the jury has to compare the level of innovation of logistics packaging, like the Plastic Pool Pallet and the Multipack crate, with food packaging, like the BeeMagicTray and the Tenderpac. The jury also has to compare metal packaging, such as the Next Generation Food Can and the SpRing Latch, with paper-based packaging like the Bluebag and Locked4Kids. And then there’s web retail packaging like the ROLLOR Express and how that compares with the Mr. Proper Sustainable Pack with auto-stop dosing cap. It’s an almost impossible task!

That’s why we don’t have an ordinary jury. The jury of the Packaging Innovation Contest De Gouden Noot 2014 reflects the entire supply chain of packaged products. Chairman of the jury is Prof. Onno Omta, professor of Management of Innovation at Wageningen University and Research. With his experience, he oversees the 3-day process of finding the one winner of the solid gold walnut that is inside the trophy.

Which of the ten finalists is the most innovative? Is it the clever technical innovation that provides convenience both to the packer/filler and the end-user? Or the new and bright idea of creating packaging that enables clothing to be shipped without creasing it? A new and better way to keep meat fresh for a longer period of time, or lighter and more resource-efficient packaging? On 10 September, the jury decided who would win this edition of De Gouden Noot – but until the award ceremony, during the NVC Packaging Innovation Dinner on 30 September 2014, nobody else will know what the most innovative packaging is…

More information about Packaging Innovation Contest De Gouden Noot 2014 is available on the NVC website or www.degoudennoot.com.