The Student Starpack Packaging Design Awards are open for entry. Rachel Brooks explains the briefs on offer for 2012, and catches up on developments within the Starpack Advisory Board.

Student Starpack 'Best in Show 2011'

The Student Starpack Awards challenge students to solve problems set by brand-leading FMCG companies, design agencies and manufacturers, and win recognition of their excellence. Designed to encourage students to take up a career in consumer packaging design, they are the only awards in the UK aimed exclusively at providing a platform for new talent emerging from universities, colleges and schools……

Check out further info at The Packaging Society site:

Student Starpack Awards – further information

Starpack packaging awards 2010

If you’ve got a recently launched product that displays some unusual, differentiated, innovative or unusual packaging – or just looks really ‘cool’ – why not enter it into the Starpack Awards?

The Starpack Industry Awards are the pre-eminent UK awards scheme for packaging design and innovation. The Starpack Awards have been recognising innovative packaging design and technology since 1960. That makes 2010 Starpack’s 51st year!

This year’s categories have been chosen to reflect key areas of packaging applications and packaging development.

The closing date for entries is 25 June 2010.

Design Cognition are proud to support this great initiative which is designed to promote innovation in the industry. If you’ve got a great idea but don’t know what to do with it – why not give us a call, to review your options.

You can find out more about The Starpack Industry Awards and get an application form, by following this link to the IOM3 website. GO FOR IT!!

Just a quick note to confirm that both Annie and myself have been honoured with the title of Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv) by the Society for the Environment, through our membership of the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining (IOM3) and because of our life-long commitment to developing sustainable packaging solutions in our day-to-day projects. It’s nice to have it recognised and, by implication, recognition of the fact that packaging actually provides a beneficial (environmental) role in society.

This also sits nicely with our appointment last year as Technical Advisors to WRAP (the UK government-run Waste Resources & Action Programme) in ‘Waste Minimisation – Packaging Product Waste’. I feel that a key component of this has been our understanding of the requirements of present environmental legislation, in particular the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging waste) and Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations, which have been key in a number of recent environmental & sustainability assessments

‘Sustainable development’ to me is all about taking a ‘helicopter’ view of any product development to understand:

• environmental impacts throughout the whole supply chain (from raw material extraction, through use & disposal, to reuse and recovery) whilst
• attempting to meet consumer convenience needs,
• BUT minimising the overall environmental impact through intelligent design of pack (primary, secondary & tertiary), using the optimum material specifications & most economical footprint possible.

I believe that key to our CEnv award was our continued application of the principles of sustainable environmental management and development in our work. Over my 30 year career ‘the environment’ has become ever-more prominent on everybody’s agenda, evolving from the early days of the ‘Topfer Decree’ to the more recent ‘Plan A’. We have endeavoured throughout to apply the principles of sustainable environmental management and development in all of our work as ‘environmental packaging champions’:

• Acting as an internal consultants for marketers & other business stakeholders – advising on ‘fitness for purpose’ and ‘environmental best-practice’.
• Highlighting issues with existing packaging to our work colleagues
• Applying ‘sustainable principles in the hundreds of packaging developments on which We’ve worked

Moving forwards, I pledge that Design Cognition will continue applying the principles of sustainable development and environmental responsibility in all of our work. As CEO of a company that not only develops packaging but also acts in a consultancy capacity (advising on packaging ‘sustainability’ & ‘the environment’) I carry the mantle with a great deal of pride and self-fulfilment – enjoying making a ‘real difference’ in the world.

• Our initial discussions with clients always encompass sustainable aspects – and that will continue
• One of our ‘values’ (shown on our website) is to be ‘environmentally aware’:
• “bearing in mind our impact on the environment and eco-systems in all that we develop and in our day-to-day business”
• Through this ethos I will encourage all in Design Cognition to ‘live’ our environmental policy as a holistic approach to encompass not only work we do for clients but also in our day-to-day business activities.

We look forward to working with you

Chris

Design Cognition, packaging consultants &  designers based in Nottingham, are proud to announce that Technical Director Anne Dallison has been awarded Fellowship of The Packaging Society, part of The Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining (IOM3).

Managing Director, Chris Penfold said “Having spent over 30 years working within the packaging industry, her award is justly deserved – she is one of only a handful of female Fellows in the country”. Well done Annie!

It is believed that the IOM3 assessors were particularly impressed with Annie’s extensive & in-depth experience, where she has played a proactive role in all of the companies in which she has worked, extolling the importance of packaging for the success of brands and products.

Annie has also taken great interest in the changes and the impact of the ever growing demands of legislative and regulatory requirements affecting the Packaging Industry, where she has worked hard to minimise the impact of these requirements for Brand image and product appearance, whilst at the same time developing robust processes for the application of the changes when necessary.

For many years Annie has been an active member of Institute of Packaging Pharmaceutical Forum (cross-company common interest group) whom she represents on the European CEN Braille Forum. Over the years Annie has been integral in receiving a number of Star Pack and World Star awards for packaging as well as European and global patents.

Her passion extends to developing young people into the industry, taking great pleasure in teaching, coaching and mentoring them.  Many people that she has trained have developed into some of the best Packaging Technologists in the industry.

Affiliated to this, Annie has also taken an active role working with local schools, providing an introductions to Packaging and with design students from local universities, either as their manager during their industrial placements or as sponsor/mentor for their final year projects.

Following on from this, Chris Penfold, also a Committee member of The Packaging Society, East Midlands Branch said “We are also keen to bring younger blood into the Fellowship and generate a stronger female representation.”

If you believe that you have the necessary qualities and wish to find put more, please contact Julie Bowers at IOM3: julie.bowers@iom3.org       Tel: +44 (0)1782 221709

Chris Penfold 24th September 2009

We are pleased to announce that Anne Dallison, Technical Director of Design Cognition, has just been elected as Fellow of the Institute of Packaging, The Packaging Society – part of IOM3 (The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, enabling her to use the letters ‘F.Inst.Pkg’ after her name.

This is a fantastic achievement for Annie, who has worked in the packaging industry for over 25 years, in a number of packaging-related roles. Over the years she has played a proactive role in all of the companies for whom she has worked, extolling the importance of packaging for the success of brands and products. She has also taken a special interest in the changes and impact of the ever-growing demands of legislative and regulatory requirements affecting the Packaging Industry. Her work to minimise the impact of these requirements for the brand image and product appearance has been tireless, whilst at the same time developing robust processes for the application of the changes when necessary.

For many years she has been an active member of Institute of Packaging Pharmaceutical Forum (cross-company common interest group) and is representing this group on the BSI and also European CEN Braille Forum.  She is also a member of the Pharmaceutical Quality Forum and is involved in the working group for “the development of PS 9000 Pharmaceutical Packaging Materials”.

On top of all of this, on a number of occasions, she has received Star Pack and World Star awards for packaging that she has developed along with European and global patents.

Well done Annie – keep up the good work!