Biobased PaperFoam champagne packaging design wins coveted DieLine Award

PaperFoam (Barneveld, Netherlands), a young company specialized in sustainable packaging, has captured the DieLine Sustainable Packaging Award 2015 for its Naturally Clicquot 2, an eco-packaging design solution made from PaperFoam material for champagne producer Veuve Clicquot.

PaperFoam is a biopolymer based on industrial starch derived from potatoes or tapioca, cellulose fibers and Premix, which is produced via an injection molding process. This low-carbon-footprint material is biodegradable and home compostable.

The award-winning Naturally Clicquot 2 packaging is a follow-up version of the Naturally Clicquot 1, which was developed and launched last year in collaboration with the champagne producer. Intended as gift packaging, the design was as simple as it was effective, consisting of two PaperFoam halves and a paper wrapper. The isothermal properties of the material kept the bottle cool for up to two hours. The main challenge was the condensation that formed on the bottle inside the packaging, which caused the starch-based PaperFoam material to become sticky. A special formulation, developed in collaboration with Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands, solved this problem.

Launched this year, the Naturally Clicquot 2 offers a number of improvements over the earlier version. The design is more convenient, making it easier to carry and to set down. The packaging consists of two parts that are held together by a Velcro wrapper, making it reclosable and reusable. Also, the material used for the Naturally Clicquot 2 is more resistant than the earlier formulation, while retaining its isothermal properties.

"We are honored to receive the DieLine Sustainable Packaging Award for our biodegradable, compostable champagne packaging solution," the company declared in a video. "We thank DieLine for choosing us!"

The DieLine Award competition is among the most prestigious design competitions in the world. Each year, 39 winners are selected in 13 different categories that are awarded first, second and third place. One Sustainable Packaging Award is handpicked by the judges to highlight innovative contributions to the field of sustainable packaging design.