2007 BottledWaterWorld Design Award Winners Announced

Bottled water companies from around the world gathered for the presentation of the prestigious 2007 bottledwaterworld awards organised by Zenith International Publishing. Sponsored by PET tooling specialist R&D Tool and Engineering, the magazine’s awards programme attracted a record 169 entries this year from 32 countries, resulting in a truly international competition of outstanding quality.

The awards dinner took place on 13 September at the Gran Hotel Ciudad de México, as part of this week’s Global Bottled Water Congress in Mexico City which attracted 150 delegates including representatives from all four world market leading groups – Nestlé, Danone, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo.

The 2007 bottledwaterworld awards panel of independent judges included: R&D Tool and Engineering Engineering Sales and Marketing Manager Peter Lloyd; Heather Taylor from NSF International; Iain Ferguson from Co-operative Retail; Miguel Fresquet from Rexam; Claire Nuttall from Dragon Brands; Lianne van den Berg-Weitzel from Claessens Product Consultants; Jon Cowan from CCL Decorative Sleeves; Fiona Mathews from Earth Champions Foundation; and bottledwaterworld Editor Nayl D’Souza. The judging panel was chaired by Zenith International Publishing Managing Editor Bill Bruce.

Winners included:

• 1 Litre Water Company for the best bottle in PET prize, for a uniquely designed proprietary 1 litre and 1 half litre bottle with an integrated PET cup for upmarket restaurants, hotels and spas.
• Veen Waters Finalnd for the best bottle in glass category, aimed primarily at the hotel and restaurant market, for the bottle used by its Waater brand which represents a water droplet producing ripples on the water’s surface and the eye-catching limited edition Avra bottles from Coca-Cola HBC Greece.
• The best label section winner was Whitehole Springs from the UK which has designed a stylish yet subtle label for its Tufa Pure spring water brand.
• In the best enhanced water concept category, the winner was the reinvigorated flavoured water range from US based Hint.
• The winner of the best children’s concept category was Kerry Foods for Kerry Spring Xtra, which claims to be the first functional water to target children in the Irish market.
• Sidel was the clear winner in the best packaging innovation category for the development of FlexTechnology which has allowed the company to develop NoBottle – the lightest PET bottle for water, weighing just 9.9 grammes per 50cl bottle.
• Danone Waters (UK & Ireland) scooped the best marketing campaign with the Volcanicity campaign, a set of brand advertisements for Volvic. The campaign introduced consumers to Mr Vo lcano (George to his friends) and his sidekick Tyrannosaurus Alan.
• The best newcomer winner was charity brand Thirsty Planet produced by UK based Waterbrands.
• In the best sustainability initiative category, the winner was Icelandic Water Holdings which has secured full certification from The CarbonNeutral Company in 2007 for the commitment it is making to monitor, assess, reduce and offset carbon emissions.
• Lastly, the prize for best overall concept (pictured) was awarded to Canada’s 1 litre water company for developing a sophisticated and elegant PET bottle that is a desirable and safe poolside or spa resort option. A stainless steel sleeve to keep the luxury bottle chilled is also part of the brand’s overall proposition. The judges all agreed that the bottle’s visual impact along with its design originality, ergonomics and technical innovation means that the winning entry is an innovation the bottled water industry will take pride in.

“The calibre of entrants this year has been phenomenal. The competition demonstrates the ability of this industry to reach consumers in new and exciting ways using excellence in packaging design and marketing,” concluded Zenith International Publishing Managing Editor Bill Bruce. “I never cease to be amazed at the pace of innovation and fitness for purpose in this, the fastest moving sector of the non alcoholic beverages industry.”

Source: Zenith International Publishing Ltd.