Statement re Smurfit Kappa’s industry-leading...

Statement re Smurfit Kappa’s industry-leading designs triumph at Red Dot Awards

Smurfit Kappa Group PLC

Smurfit Kappa’s industry-leading designs triumph at Red Dot Awards

Five innovative products given prestigious global creative design award

SKG.I SKG.L

Smurfit Kappa has walked away with five of the most prestigious design awards from the internationally recognised Red Dot Award for Communication Design. From over 17,000 entries from 46 different countries, the Smurfit Kappa products stood out for their industry leading, game-changing designs. Previous winners include global brands such as Apple, Samsung and Phillips.

Smurfit Kappa teams from Germany, Poland and Spain, created a series of unique designs helping to elevate consumer experience.

The team in Germany rose to the challenge of creating a packaging solution that would encourage both healthy eating habits and sustainable behaviour. The result was the “Cardboard Playground” – a ground- breaking design for apples which transforms into a fun toy for children.

The German team also came up with clever packaging for eggs which removes the need for consumers to open the pack to check if any are broken.

For pet-lovers in Poland the traditional plastic cat carrier was turned into an eco-alternative. Made entirely from cardboard, ‘Catventure’, transforms from cat carrier to cosy home in one swift and simple move.

The second Polish winner was the ‘SoFruPack’ which transports fruit punnets securely to keep them fresh and unspoilt.

The challenge of carrying a pair of heavy bottles safely and easily was solved through the handy ‘Strong Grip’ container in Spain.

All five products were recognised by Red Dot for their innovative designs, use of sustainable materials and consumer convenience. Helping customers meet and exceed consumer needs is what drives Smurfit Kappa and its designers each and every day.

Arco Berkenbosch, Vice President Innovation and Development, Smurfit Kappa said: “We are very proud and honoured to have won five coveted Red Dot Awards and to be recognised in the most prestigious field of design. These awards are testament to our world-class designers who are setting the global benchmark for creativity and innovation.”

Tony Smurfit, Smurfit Kappa Group CEO, added: "Our continuing commitment to innovation reflects our customer-led focus. Innovation reduces supply chain cost and positions packaging as a highly effective merchandising medium."

ENDS

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Sinead Gill Smurfit Kappa T: [phone] E: [e-mail] Â	Â	Â	FTI Consulting   T: [phone] E: [e-mail]

About Smurfit Kappa

Smurfit Kappa is one of the leading providers of paper-based packaging solutions in the world, with around 45,000 employees in approximately 370 production sites across 34 countries and with revenue of €8.1 billion in 2015. We are located in 21 countries in Europe, and 13 in the Americas. We are the only large-scale pan-regional player in Latin America.

With our pro-active team we relentlessly use our extensive experience and expertise, supported by our scale, to open up opportunities for our customers. We collaborate with forward thinking customers by sharing superior product knowledge, market understanding and insights in packaging trends to ensure business success in their markets. We have an unrivalled portfolio of paper-packaging solutions, which is constantly updated with our market-leading innovations. This is enhanced through the benefits of our integration, with optimal paper design, logistics, timeliness of service, and our packaging plants sourcing most of their raw materials from our own paper mills. Our products, which are 100% renewable and produced sustainably, improve the environmental footprint of our customers.

Check out our microsite openthefuture.info. Find us on Twitter at @smurfitkappa and on LinkedIn at ‘Smurfit Kappa’.

smurfitkappa.com

About the Red Dot Design Award

The Red Dot Design awards celebrate and recognise outstanding design quality and were started in 1955.

The 2016 awards were selected by a jury of 26 industry experts during an extensive evaluation and appraisal process lasting several days. The jury consists of well-known designers as well as respected professors and journalists in the design industry.

Award winners were honoured on November 4, 2016 in Berlin, Germany at the Red Dot Gala and are invited to present their award-winning projects at the Designers’ Night in the E-Werk Berlin.

To find out more about the Red Dot Awards visit: http://red-dot.de/cd/de/

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