Greener Package Awards honor eight

Five categories, 21 judges, and 98 entries: This year’s Greener Package Awards competition—sponsored by Summit Publishing’s GreenerPackage.com—represents an incredible investment of resources by consumer packaged goods companies, suppliers, and individuals to move the packaging community toward greater sustainability. The eight winners, selected by members of the Greener Package Expert Network, demonstrate that sustainability can be found in a myriad of technologies and materials; there is no one right answer.

The event’s increased number of entrants—there were 57% more than in 2009—also shows that innovation around sustainability continues at a fast pace, providing many companies with a pretty positive economic payback during these dismal financial times. As Mark Mathes, owner and CEO of Vanguard Packaging, the Innovator of the Year Award winner, says, “If you take sustainability projects seriously and implement them, if you do the right things, they are proven to go to the bottom line.”