36 winning innovations at the German Packaging Award 2026
Over 200 companies from 17 countries submitted their innovations to the 2026 German Packaging Award. In the end, the independent expert jury selected 36 outstanding solutions across ten categories. The winners come from Germany, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands and the UK. They use plastic, fibre-based packaging materials, glass and metal. Three trophies went to the packaging machinery category. The German Packaging Institute (dvi), as the organiser of Europe’s largest packaging exhibition, congratulates all the winners and presents the award-winning solutions on its website. The dvi cordially invites you to attend the award ceremony and the announcement of the Gold Awards on 19 November 2026 at a special industry event in Berlin.
Just a few days before the new European Packaging Regulation (PPWR) comes into force, the 36 award-winning innovations at the 2026 German Packaging Award demonstrate that the industry has been – and continues to be – working very creatively and with great ingenuity on finding solutions. Sustainability and circularity are proving to be key drivers of progress in all categories – from cost-effectiveness, through design and product presentation, to logistics, mechanical engineering and digitalisation. In her concluding remarks, she emphasises the many outstanding achievements of our companies, right across the board”. The German Packaging Award 2026 makes it abundantly clear that employees in the packaging industry are more than aware of their responsibilities. Our companies are most admirably defying economic adversity and are building a bright future in the service of people, the economy and the environmentg.
Award ceremony and Gold Awards
The dvi, together with its premium partners FACHPACK and IGEPA group invites all players in the packaging industry to the award ceremony on 19 November 2026 in Berlin. Participation is free of charge and simply requires prior registration via the German Packaging Award website.
We will present the winning teams from the companies with their trophies and certificates on the main stage at the awards ceremony. As well as this, we will also be announcing the recipients of our exclusive Gold Awards. The jury honours innovations that stand out even from this special circle of Packaging Award winners with these Gold Awards. We look forward to many exciting discussions and participants from across the entire value chain. We are certain that we will experience a very special industry event that is more than worth a day trip to Berlin.
Overview of the award-winning innovations by category
Sustainability: 8 winners
The winners in the Sustainability category span the areas of recycled content, recyclability, reusable packaging, material reduction and overall concept. They demonstrate that circularity is achieved through systemic thinking across the entire value chain and can also be implemented industrially in demanding applications. A key trend is the simplification of complex structures – whether through integrating a barrier into printing ink, eliminating the printing process, consistently reducing material use by minimising foreign content, or using pure monomaterials, and, last but not least, optimised solutions for efficient recycling processes. The winning companies in this category are All4Labels, Aptar Closures, Avery Dennison, Constantia Flexibles, CurTec, Evonik, Jokey SE, LINHARDT, Malzfabrik Weyermann, Mondi Consumer Flexibles, Siegwerk Druckfarben and Werner & Mertz.
Design: 4 winners
The award-winning solutions in the Design category combine aesthetics and brand identity with recyclability and material reduction, as well as tangible functional benefits for users, such as intuitive colour-coding or improved ergonomics. They demonstrate that environmental responsibility can be combined with functional innovation (SIOC, residual emptying, refill) and economic efficiency. The winning companies in this category are 1001 Gewürze, Brandpack, Design3, Design for human nature, Kao, Telefónica and touch Design.
Digitalisation: 3 winners
The three winners in the Digitalisation category highlight that data-driven and AI-supported processes are playing an increasingly important role in the field of packaging too. Software turns sustainability into an operational management tool; the serialisation of glass bottles creates transparency in the returnable system without the need for system restructuring; and shipping cartons can now be optimised on a scientific basis rather than heuristically. The winners in this category are CCEP, Coca-Cola, Fraunhofer IML, Myneral Labs, Packmatic and Vetropack.
Functionality and Convenience: 4 winners
In 2026, the Functionality and Convenience category focuses on the evolution of packaging from a passive container to an active tool or component of a process. This applies to life-saving drug delivery in the operating theatre, ceiling-mounted installations in living spaces, applications to the skin, and one-handed, splash-free pouring from canisters. At the same time, separate components previously required are eliminated, reducing material usage and complexity. The winners in this category are Delkeskamp, Elos Medtech, puracon, Kampmann, Kao and Smurfit Westrock.
Logistics and Material Flow: 4 winners
A common trend among the winning logistics solutions is the combination of the circular economy with process optimisation. PCR recycled material in stretch film offers options for meeting PPWR obligations; cardboard replaces wood for heavy-duty applications; and smart reusable containers replace single-use ones whilst creating transparency through digital tracking. In addition to their environmental benefits, all solutions deliver measurable economic advantages. The winning companies in this category are bekuplast, circolution, Der Grüne Punkt, DUO PLAST, Jokey SE, Kaffee Braun, Papierverarbeitung Hanns Julius Lichtenberger, SEW-EURODRIVE and Wetropa Packaging.
New Materials: 1 winner
The award-winning solution demonstrates how the extremely economical use of a new material can replace an entire packaging component. Instead of shrink film, foamed adhesive dots now hold beverage multipacks together. The approach is systemically effective, as it simultaneously reduces material, energy and waste. The winning innovation comes from H.B. Fuller Deutschland.
Packaging Machines (engineering, technology, software): 3 winners
Maximum flexibility, minimum downtime, reduced space requirements, short time-to-market and increased process transparency are among the outstanding optimisations achieved by the winners in the Packaging Machines category. Awards were given, for example, for new possibilities in inline format adjustment and rapid changeover, in modularity, in yield monitoring to minimise losses, and in format-independent transport systems. The winning machinery manufacturers are KOCH Pac-Systeme, MULTIVAC Sepp Haggenmüller and Optima Consumer.
Product Presentation: 4 winners
The award-winning solutions in the Product Presentation category focus on visual impact, optimised functionality and social responsibility. For instance, trays combine transport and retail display in a single, intelligent and resource-efficient design. Corrugated cardboard achieves a premium look through targeted finishing. And, for the first time, Braille embossing on flexible packaging creates genuine inclusion. The award-winning innovations come from Gebr. KNAUER, hitschler International, KOLB Group, Palm Verpackung, Rotoprint Sovrastampa, Seyfert and STI Group.
Cost-Effectiveness: 1 winner
The winning shelf-display packaging combines product protection, easy product retrieval and secure stackability with significantly better process efficiency – without any new investment needed in automation. The award-winning innovation comes from Panther Packaging and Smurfit Westrock.
Young Talent: 4 winners
The Young Talent category showcases packaging as a multifunctional medium that goes beyond product protection. These creative solutions offer a sustainability assessment that is simple in the best sense of the word and supported by AI, provide emotional support in special situations, or deliver added value through playful elements. The award-winning students are from Neubrandenburg University of Applied Sciences and Münster University of Applied Sciences – Münster School of Design.
All 36 winning innovations with jury’s full assessment of each winner