The international jury of Packaging Europe‘s 2025 Sustainability Awards has announced this year’s finalists. One of the the world’s most prestigious competitions for sustainable packaging, this year’s final list of 51 competitors comprises entries from fiber- and bio-based materials, right-sizing and degradation technologies, preservative packaging, smart sensors, reforestation efforts, protective e-commerce designs, etc.
A diverse, international jury of experts picked candidates with no involvement from the organizers. Packaging South Asia editor Naresh Khanna was among the judges who hand-picked the finalists.
According to Packaging Europe, this has been the most internationally diverse set of finalists to date, with more submissions from outside Europe and North America – from Ethiopia, India, China, Brazil, Australia, and beyond.
Eleven winners of The Sustainability Awards 2025 will receive a coveted crystal trophy at the Sustainable Packaging Summit, taking place in Utrecht, Netherlands on 10 to 12 November.
Here’s the list of the 51 finalists.
Best Practice
Coveris – ReCover Paper recycling facility
Sonoco – Smart, recyclable food cans for FareShare charity donations
Trayak – EcoImpact Sustainability Intelligence platform for data analytics
ICIS – ICIS Pyrolysis Oil Pricing Index
Climate
DS Smith and Krones – Fibre-based Lift Up shrink-wrap alternative and LitePac Top for bottle multipacks
Sonoco – Ecopeel three-piece can
Ardagh Glass Packaging – Hydrogen electrolyzer for melting glass
Ambipar – Sustainable Biocapsules Project, reusing pharma packaging waste for reforestation
Flexpenser – Flexpenser one-way valve/pump
Driving the Circular Economy
Glacier and 100+ Accelerator – Glacier Recycling AI for automated recovery and real-time data
DHL Express – Reusable Pallet Wrap
Procter & Gamble – VersoVita solvent-based dissolution recycling technology
RAWS – RAWS plastic degradation technology
eCommerce
Henkel – Technomelt E-COM G5 Eco Cool low-temperature hot melt
Xampla and Just Eat Takeaway – Plastic-free, Morro-coated food-to-go box
Guangzhou Procter & Gamble – Paper pulp spherical packaging box
Procter & Gamble – Versafiller paper-based honeycomb structure
Recyclable Packaging
Sharpak – SharpTek mono-PET tray for berries
COPAR Smart Packaging – Flow wrap for sausages, made from wheat straw and HyperBarrier paper
Blue Ocean Closures – Fiber-based closure for nutraceutical supplements
Koehler Paper – Koehler NexPlus Advanced barrier paper for Wynn Petfood primary packaging
Mondelēz International – MonoPaper outer packaging for Veritable Petit Beurre de LU
Renewable Materials
Zafree Papers and 100+ Accelerator – Tree-free, unbleached pulp and kraft liner
Graphic Packaging International – PaperSeal Shape paperboard tray for Pilgrim’s Europe and Sainsbury’s
UPM Specialty Papers, Orkla Suomi, and Walki Group – Paper packaging for Panda Milk chocolate
Pack2Earth – Low-CO2, home-compostable biomaterials made from plant matter and minerals
Mondi Group – Ad/Vantage StretchWrap for pallet wrapping
Climate (Pre-Commercialized)
Paramount Planet Product – Biodegradable nano-cellulose straws
Paramount Planet Product – Biodegradable nano-cellulose flat sheets
Avery Dennison – Vidre+ smart label for fresh produce
BioTip – Eye D sensors for real-time food quality monitoring
Driving the Circular Economy (Pre-Commercialized)
Sonoco – HORIZON lightweight metal overcap
BOTTLESS – Airless Pak refillable airless packaging system
Beontag – Beontag Carrier eWave industrial-grade UHF label
Gemini Corporation – Gemcorp Recycling’s upcycled multi-layered plastic pellets
Klingenberg – Nomadbox reusable shipping carton
Recyclable Packaging (Pre-Commercialized)
Papacks – Moulded fibre, cellulose-based Fiber-Bottle
Unilever – High-barrier, recyclable paper pack for Knorr Soups
Veritiv – Helicot Paper Tube
Solenis – TopScreen TC744 water-based barrier coating for cupstock
Coexpan and Emsur – Resealable mono-PET food tray
Renewables (Pre-Commercialized)
HUID – HUID Pyber, a fibrous packaging material derived from onion waste
Shenzhen JF Bio Products – BALK biobased, pressure-sensitive hot melt adhesive
Tampere University of Applied Sciences – Coffee-based biopolymer inks
Ecohelix – Ecohelix WOODMER Seal biopolymer heat seal coating
NantBioRenewables – Compostable protein tray containing ocean calcium
Machinery
CMC Packaging Automation – CMC Super Vertical 3D Vertical Bagger and Auto-Packer
Hotel Emporium – LiquiFill bath liquid refill system
Ranpak – Cut’it!™ EVO Multi-Lid automated height reduction and box closing machine
SIPA – XFORM RENEW direct flake-to-preform technology
Voidless – Voidless P2 automated packaging system for right-sized boxes
