Four companies have won the European Tube Manufacturers' Association Tube of the Year 2018 awards, covering aluminium, plastic, laminate and prototype tubes.
First place in the Aluminium Tube category went to Italian tubemaker La Metallurgica for a tube for a hair dye which had a watermark that is invisible to the human eye integrated into the printed image, software allows different digital watermarks to be embedded in the motif.
French producer Albéa carried off first prize in the Plastic Tube category with a new flip-top cap it developed for the Klorane brand from Pierre Fabre. Compact and flat, Albéa says the Slim Cap is one of the lightest closures currently available, and the design ensures that water does not accumulate in the cap. Its appearance and characteristic colouring is obtained using a combination of flexo and silk-screen printing.
The winning Laminate Tube was submitted by Hoffmann Neopac from Switzerland. The so-called no mess applicator has a novel massage nozzle for applying the gel is self-closing, in contrast to the usual sponge or roll-on applicators that do not have such an intuitive closure system. The particularly stable shape of the tube helps users reach their backs and shoulders more easily.
The winner in the Prototype Tube category was a tube from the German manufacturer Linhardt aimed at providing a clean solution thanks to its further advancement of hygiene standards for laminate tubes. Special steriones were developed for the inner layer of the tube laminate; these are organo-metallic molecular complexes that do not damage the actual contents of the tube but drastically reduce the negative impact that bacteria, viruses and fungi have on them.
Gregor Spengler, etma’s secretary general says, “First of all, the high level of participation in our competition is a good sign. It shows the importance and growing acceptance of the etma awards. I am particularly pleased to see that the participating tubes are distributed fairly uniformly across the aluminium, plastic, laminate and prototype tube categories. This proves that the inventiveness and innovative spirit of the European tube industry is not restricted to individual fields but transcends all markets and applications of the tube.
“Whether it be modern interactive features, hygienic and consumer-friendly dispenser systems, eco-friendly and resource-conserving material savings or technically demanding solutions for even better product protection, the etma Tube of the Year competition has once again confirmed the future viability of the tube as a packaging material in an impressive manner this year. At the same time, it has demonstrated the innovation-driven creativity of the etma members as an important distinguishing feature in the competitive packaging market.”
