Self-locking pouch attracts innovation jury at Emballage

The Eclipse pouch was one of seven packaging innovations at the trade fair to win the “Coup de Coeur” award. An expert committee from 10 major packaging buyers including Nestle, Danone and Coca-Cola Enterprise chose the new pouch because of its design and usability as well as its cost and environmental benefits.

Limited components ​

Talking to this publication at Emballage, sales director Daniel Pouyleau said the stand-out feature of the Eclipse pouch is that it does not need a straw or a lid.

Instead, the pouch relies on a self-locking valve that allows the consumer to drink and then put the pack down without risk of spilling any content.

This innovation and the triangular shape of the pouch, which allows it to stand up without any support, mean that the whole pack has few components.

In fact, the whole pouches can be supplied to manufacturers in rolls for Vertical Form-Fill-Seal (VFFS) filling. The Emballage judges said this simplicity offers significant environmental and cost benefits.

Design features ​

In addition to these aspects, the judges found that the pouches were attractive from a design point of view, offering a new triangular shape and a good printing surface for branding.

Soft drinks and dairy products are considered to be the main applications for Eclipse, although Pouyleau said cosmetics companies have also shown an interest

He added that the company is working on an aseptic system that it plans to role out in 2011.

Other winners of the Coup de Coeur prize at Emballage covered the entire spectrum of the packaging and machinery industry. Winners directly relevant to the food and drink sector included Multivac with a thermoforming machine without compressed air and Billerud, which has developed a stretchable paper.