The Sustainability Awards are still open for submissions! From start-ups and universities to global brands and manufacturers, everyone is invited to nominate their packaging innovations for a crystal trophy – with zero entry fees.
While there are many excellent entries from Asia, to my knowledge in past years, some of the outstanding sustainable breakthroughs in laminates for snack packaging or modular methods for chemical recycling have not sent their entries to this prestigious and rigorous awards competition. From my extremely interesting and brain scratching experience as a judge, I can say that there is much to learn from the entries and their documentation. Design and marketing, material science and process engineering come into play. The cutting edge ideas and system solutions that come to light in this unique annual event become a window and insight to the future not only of packaging but also social systems.
This year marks the tenth birthday of the Sustainability Awards, and it continues its mission to uplift the innovations and initiatives leading the way towards better environmental practices in the packaging industry.
Notably, the award categories have undergone some revisions for 2026. The main categories for commercialized projects have been redesigned to distinguish key areas of innovation, while new awards have been created specifically for start-ups.
The newest additions are as follows:
Circular Plastics – Innovation supporting the transition to a circular economy in polymers – technologies supporting recyclability, facilitating increased recycling rates or bringing more recycled plastic content back into new packaging.
Digital Transformation – Eligible for solutions supporting sustainable transformation in packaging through digital innovation, AI or connected packaging.
Start-Up – New Materials – Start-up technologies introducing innovative materials with positive environmental impacts in packaging applications.
Start-Up – New Systems – Sustainable packaging formats and systems developed by start-ups.
Research & Development – Early-stage research and development in materials, processes and technologies with packaging sustainability applications.
Thinking Big – Initiatives, projects and collaborations that make an outstanding contribution to minimizing the environmental impact of packaging and its supply chain.
Companies must submit their entries by 15th March 2026. Each nomination will be judged by a diverse panel of 50+ international experts from across the packaging industry – and while Packaging Europe organizes the awards, it is not involved in the shortlisting process.
The finalists will be revealed on 1st June 2026, and the winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on 11 November 2026. This will take place during the Sustainable Packaging Summit, the leading international packaging sustainability event, at the Jaarbeurs in Utrecht, the Netherlands.
“The Sustainability Awards plays an important role in highlighting genuinely impactful innovations and initiatives that the whole industry can adopt and emulate,” says Packaging Europe brand director Tim Sykes, “and we see it continue to grow as more and more transformative emerges from outside the traditional powerhouses of innovation – for example, last year’s overall winner of the competition was from Ethiopia.
“This year we mark the tenth annual edition of the packaging Sustainability Awards, which has grown over the years to become the biggest and most impactful global competition for packaging sustainability, thanks in no small part to the breadth of expertise of our international jury and the judges’ generosity and integrity in supporting the initiative.”
Click here to nominate an innovation to the Sustainability Awards. Submissions will remain open until 15th March 2026.
The Sustainable Packaging Summit will take place on 10th – 12th November 2026. Those interested in attending the event can register their interest to be notified once registration opens.
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Naresh Khanna – 10 February 2025
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