The annual Pro Carton/ECMA Awards have been awarded for thirteen years now and are regarded as one of the most distinguished awards in the category. All the award winners and several of the involved branded goods manufacturers and agencies attended the attractive „Night of Packaging“ event to receive their awards in person. The award-winning entries gave considerable food for thought for the future, especially as the significance of sustainable packaging solutions has reached a high level of interest as a result of the present economic and ecological crisis.

Richard Dalgleish, Managing Director of Pro Carton, hosted the evening. Satkar Gidda, Sales and Marketing Director at the agency SiebertHead and Chairman of the Jury, held a very personal speech on the work of the jury prior to the awards being presented: “Since our jury meeting in 2008 we have seen the worldwide economy in turmoil. This has led to consumers looking for cheaper alternatives to branded goods, for branded goods manufacturers looking to reduce packaging costs or to provide added value by employing innovative packaging ideas. In my opinion, folded boxes are extremely environment-friendly as well as representing a perfect medium for brand communication. It is truly remarkable what can be achieved by using different types of cartonboard, printing techniques, finishing and gravures etc. Designers and branded goods manufacturers can convey any desired brand image and positioning via cartonboard packaging. This year, the jury had to work harder than ever before and needed considerably more time than previously. I have never experienced so much discussion on so many entries. In the end, we were exhausted, but happy.”

The year 2009 saw the highest number of entries in the history of the awards, 122 entries from no less than 12 countries. This year also saw a new category: folded boxes with production runs in excess of one million units, the so-called "Volume Market". Members of the jury covered the entire supply chain - designers, folded box manufacturers, brand manufacturers, the trade and consumers:

Together with Richard Dalgleish and Satkar Gidda, Stéphane Thiollier, the President of Pro Carton, presented the awards to the happy winners, which for the first time included an award-winning entry from Turkey. This year's documentation of the winners offers a special highlight: for the first time the creative process of the winning designs is documented in the awards brochure.

Information and comments by the jury on all previous Pro Carton/ECMA-Awards as well as the information brochures are available for download in five languages on www.procarton.com and on www.cartonawards.com - printed versions in English are available from Pro Carton via Suzanne E. McEwen, mcewen@procarton.com