Alufoil Trophy 2016 winners set the standard for originality and performance

The Protein Shake Pouch is a super lightweight, stand up re-closable pouch, for EZY Pro 10 manufactured by Ampac Flexibles. It ticks all the boxes for 'on-the-go' consumers and sports men and women who need a nutrition boost, but not the inconvenience of a large or heavy pack.

EZY Pro 10 contains only a protein powder inside, which is activated by pouring in water through a 21mm wide spout. The extra wide spout makes filling and drinking easy. Compared to rigid packaging there is no requirement for headspace air inside the pack. And during drinking there is no air intake back into the pouch because of the collapsing nature of the pack.

A unique package for Emmi’s “All In One Fondü”, a ready-to-eat cheese fondue, delivers the cheese dip in a microwaveable metal bowl with an easy-peel opening made of aluminium foil. The lid comprises Amcor Flexibles’ AluFix® Retort Pro membrane, which is part of Ardagh Group’s convenient lid system Easy Peel®.

The complete packaging concept offers an easy, quick and clean preparation of a cheese fondue at any time. All you need is access to an oven or microwave to heat the container and then the cheese mix can be kept warm using a cradle, which forms part of the pack, and a tea light – with the holder made from alufoil of course!

Constantia Flexibles has designed and manufactured an aluminium foil tray and lid system, Ofen-Fleischkäs’ – ready for baking @ home, which contains pre-cooked meat preparations. They enable easy and convenient baking directly in the packaging for a range of meat-based products, which can be quickly and hygienically removed prior to consumption.

The aluminium tray has a double function, on one side it protects the product throughout its shelf life, on the other it serves as baking tray for food preparation in the oven. It has been developed for German consumers who like to eat freshly baked Fleischkäs' at home. 

Taking capsule technology into a new market for cold beverages, using a container entirely made from aluminium foil, has been successfully achieved by Lavít and Alupak, through the joint development of the Lavít Capsule.

The single serve capsule for the Lavít Cold Beverage System meets current lifestyle trends, as well as bringing many practical advantages. Lavít says it wanted to create a system which enabled consumers to mix their beverages perfectly every time. While most single serve beverage capsules are punctured to mix the drink, these capsules are cracked, peeled open and the liquid mixed within the capsule, leaving no residue.  And, of course, after use they can be completely recycled.

Developed for a customer in Mongolia, but with worldwide potential, the Sunrise aluminium closure from Guala Closures takes the art of closing, and opening, a spirit bottle to a new level. The closure combines a highly visible tamper evident, tear off band within the aluminium shell, together with plastic non-refillable fitments for security, plus an easy pour mechanism.

But the whole concept looks good too. The overall creative and technical design incorporates the band very effectively, making it an integral part of the visual impact on the supermarket shelf.  The aluminium closures can be customized with the standard printing processes, such as hot foil, silkscreen and offset, both on the top and side – while the band can also be branded with embossed logos.

Sustainer, an alufoil container system, has been specifically developed by Constantia Flexibles as a BPA free, “BPA NIA”, pack for petfood. Not only does it preserve the product but it still retains all the advantages of a retortable pack while meeting both sustainable and new regulatory requirements for these types of containers. All this thanks to a new, water based lacquer system for both the container and the die cut lid.

The “BPA NIA” (Not Intentionally Added) container, in addition to dispensing with the use of Bisphenol A or other Bisphenols, also eliminates the need for the use of chrome as a surface treatment. It has all the established features of conventionally used high barrier, solvent based lacquers, such as heat resistance and sterilizability.

Amcor Flexibles has introduced a new cold form blister product, Formpack® Ultra, which can be elongated more than standard cold form solutions. The result is cavities that can be drawn deeper and with sharper wall angles than ever before, enabling blister cards to be designed up to 50% smaller, or more cavities to be added to the same blister card area.

Depending on the exact dimensions of the blister and the size of the forming station in the packing line, the manufacturer can increase the number of blisters produced per forming cycle. If the blister is smaller the number of blisters in each reel of packaging also increases, helping to reduce reel changeovers, along with associated setup/changeover waste.

A lidding foil has been devised by Constantia Flexibles, for pharmaceutical products that require a lower barrier. CONSTANTIA Blister Eco consists of tissue paper laminated with a thin aluminium layer, resulting in a material that is 23% lighter than a standard lidding foil.

The share of aluminium in the product is 40%, compared to standard foil at approximately 90%. The new lidding foil also uses renewable raw material paper and less lacquer coating, making it highly sustainable, says Constantia.  In addition it has excellent barrier properties compared to thermoformed blister bottom film. Water vapour barrier properties are greatly enhanced compared with both unformed and thermoformed lidding made from traditional PVC-based materials.

LuxPrem+ is a new alufoil overcap created by Amcor Flexibles aimed at the premium spirits market. Made from a special aluminium based material developed in-house by Amcor the intricate design features ensure that SoHappy rivals the traditional tin overcap used by the majority of European premium spirits brand owners, says the company.

The new overcap contains two layers of aluminium and incorporates an optimised tear band to facilitate opening. The material can be finished in a variety of ways to create a strong brand identity. It also offers excellent online crimping performance.

HyLectral a special battery foil, developed by Hydro, ensures unmatched constant surface quality, eco-friendlier battery production and an optimum efficiency in use, it says. Thanks to a new chemical degreasing process, after rolling, the company has achieved a foil with as-rolled robustness, plus constant cleanliness of the surface. This allows it to be used as cathode current collectors in Lithium-Ion batteries, which require high metal purity and ultra clean surfaces.

This cathode material is a breakthrough in batteries for renewable energy technology, to secure either electro-mobility or stationary power, particularly in remote locations. It can serve as the catalyst for a reliable transition from fossil based sources of power supply to renewable.

Refilly, a 3-dimensional round pouch consisting of four elements, all produced of aluminium-based laminates, created for Italian coffee specialists illycafé by Huhtamaki Flexible Packaging, proved to be the highlight of this year's Alufoil Trophy competition.

Scoring heavily in every category it was entered, it proved to be a most emphatic winner of the Overall Excellence award. The tailor-made flexible refill pack, created in close collaboration with the machine supplier Optima, easily pushes into an existing 250g illy metal can. It is easy to open, keeps the aroma intact and reduces waste weight of empty packs by 80%, says Huhtamaki.

It weighs less than 20g and can be squeezed after using to give a minimal waste-volume. However the award not only recognised its undoubted performance but also the look, feel and even the name Refilly which, the judges unanimously agreed, was highly marketable and totally appropriate to such an engaging and effective pack.