For the first time, the British edition of PIDA – Packaging Impact Design Award – got its own event, held on 5 June in Leeds. This year, sustainability and recycling were in focus. The contesting design students presented creative and fun ideas on how to package flowers, drinks and accessories in a more environmentally friendly way. And the design that had the best concept according to the jury, was Ekitai Sake, created by students from Sheffield Hallam University.

“We are surprised, chocked an honored. We made a recyclable, sustainable bottle and we’ve completely removed the glass. It’s the most sustainable product we could think of and we really tried to push it and make it look luxurious” says Will Sutton who together with teammates Chao-Lun Cheng and Jiaming Gong won the Gold Award of PIDA UK 2019. Their design Ekitai Sake is now qualified for the European final in Monaco this fall, at Luxe Pack - the world's largest luxury packaging fair.

High quality all around
This year’s brief was "Bring the future" and the students’ challenge was to develop a sustainable packaging concept for the year 2030. The jury looked at the innovation, sustainability, user-friendliness, concept and communication of the contributions. Ekitai Sake received high marks on all points and the students were praised for their attention to detail, the branding and the functionality of the packaging.

The motivation of the jury:
“A unanimous decision by the judges to give the PIDA Gold Award to this excellent innovative pack design, very strong in all categories. The combination of structure, branding and functionality proved a winning concept. The judges appreciated the attention to detail, the ergonomics of the bottle and use of the lid to drink with as a workable concept. Additional environmental impact reductions by replacing glass and reducing energy required to provide a stunning design that further enhanced the excellent packaging & product combined concept.”

A glimpse into the future of packaging
In addition to the PIDA Gold Award, winners were elected in three more categories. The prize for the Highest Level of Innovation went to the design Believers, dreamers and you for its unique playful design and great shelf impact. Winner of Highest Level of Sustainability and Highest Level of User Friendliness award was the design Lit Life for the economical use of the material and for the functionality of the packaging.

“The projects catapulted us into the future of packaging innovation and design and previewed ideas and concepts that we will one day see on our shelves and have in our homes. All of the projects were great and it was a very proud day for all involved as it had been a dream for three years to hold this event in the UK”, says Gareth Fisher, project leader of PIDA UK at BillerudKorsnäs.

Young talents become tomorrow’s packaging designers
The international competition PIDA is arranged by BillerudKorsnäs and is carried out in collaboration with leading universities and colleges in Sweden, the UK, France and Germany. Each year, over 200 design students participate. In this year’s edition of PIDA UK, students from Sheffield Hallam University competed. The jury consists of a mix of industry professionals – designers, converters, brand owners and other specialists.

“With PIDA we achieve several different purposes at the same time,” says Anders Gathu, Marketing Manager at BillerudKorsnäs. “We aim the spotlight on the importance of packaging for brands, consumer benefits and the environment. We want to shine light on the young talents who will become tomorrow’s packaging designers and bring them together with industry professionals. By offering a meeting place for ideas, innovation and inspiration, we help push industry development forward.”

For more information about PIDA, please contact:

Gareth Fisher, Project leader of PIDA UK, BillerudKorsnäs
Phone: +447595453298
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Anders Gathu, Marketing Manager, BillerudKorsnäs
Telephone: +46722-43 36 61
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