Smurfit Kappa picks up 14 industry awards

Smurfit Kappa picked up 14 awards for its “creative and innovative” packaging at the European Flexographic Industry Innovation Awards, the company announced on Thursday.

The FTSE 100 firm said its stand-out, shelf-ready packaging solutions for brands including Beck’s, Huggies and M&S were among the submissions that caught the judges’ eyes.

On the night, Smurfit Kappa received four gold, four silver, three bronze and three highly commended awards, which “further consolidated” its reputation as a leader in the packaging industry, the board added.

The EFIA gold award was the second award in recent months for Smurfit Kappa’s preprint liner for Beck’s beer.

The high concentration of ink coverage and attention-grabbing finish on the box provided what the company called an “excellent example” of how flexographic printing could be used to bring a brand to life on the shelf.

Smurfit Kappa also received the ‘Innovation Excellence’ award for a collaboration with Contact Originators on an ‘extended gamut process’ print capability, which reduced waste and increased efficiency.

“We are delighted to have won 14 EFIA awards demonstrating our advanced capabilities in flexographic printing,” said Smurfit Kappa CEO Clive Bowers.

“The starting point for all our packaging is when we sit down with our customers to explore all their requirements.

“We use this information and our years of experience to create fit-for-purpose, sustainable packaging.”