At the inaugural Henkel DESIGNathon, bright minds met up to disrupt the status quo in the packaging industry and tackle big challenges related to sustainability. The in-person event welcomed students from across Europe to collaborate with thought-leaders from industry and academia – with cash prizes awarded for the top three designs.

During the two-day event in January, 20 students met in Henkel’s Inspiration Center Duesseldorf (ICD), where they worked in groups to further develop packaging designs and services that promote and facilitate reuse.

The event aimed to inspire next-generation ideas for more sustainable packaging. Concepts needed to be capable of making a real-world impact on the market within the next five years. They also had to be consistent with the European Union’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulations (PPWR), which aim to significantly reduce packaging waste in the coming years.

“As a leading player in adhesives and coatings for packaging, we see it as our responsibility to foster the generation and development of innovative ideas that will push the industry to a sustainable future,” says Kerstin van Wijk, head of innovation for Adhesive Technologies Packaging and contest judge, on the inspiration for the event.

After a rigorous application round, the following were shortlisted and workshopped during the DESIGNathon:

• Reusable pharma blister packs (First place)
  A recyclable blister pack for medical pills made entirely from recyclable PEF material, enhancing recyclability, reducing waste, and improving accessibility while meeting medical-grade packaging standards.
• Reusable in-flight meal containers (Second place)
  Reduce single-use plastic waste in aviation by introducing high-quality, reusable meal containers for in-flight services, which enhance efficiency and minimize environmental impact through a closed-loop reuse system.
• Biobased and biodegradable packaging from banana waste (Third place)
  Creating bioplastics for packaging from agricultural waste, primarily bananas, to reduce reliance on petroleum-based plastics, manage waste sustainability and support a circular economy.
• Refillable cartridge system for non-food filling goods (Honorable mention)
  A reusable tank system for liquid products that reduces waste, encourages reuse through customer incentives and cross-industry applications and supports environmental and economic goals.
• Reusable e-commerce packaging (Honorable mention)
  A smart, modular, and reusable packaging system for e-commerce, featuring collapsible, durable, and recyclable packages with QR code tracking, promoting transparency, efficiency, and sustainability throughout their life cycle.

“All of the workshopped ideas showed how valuable it is to bring great minds together to bring out-of-the-box thinking to life,” says Rajat Agarwal, global head of Henkel Packaging Adhesives, jury member and project sponsor. “The winning idea of reusable pharma packaging convinced us by tackling a significant challenge with a realistic solution that addresses key stakeholders in the pharmaceutical industry value chain.”

“The energy and enthusiasm from Henkel employees made us feel very welcomed, and the opportunities to discuss sustainability was an added bonus,” one of the students said in an anonymous survey after the event. “I really enjoyed the active interaction with industry experts.”

Henkel plans to expand the format globally to reach further up-and-coming innovators worldwide. By learning together and working together, the company aims to make a measurable difference together. In that way, DESIGNathon participants can shape the future of FMCG packaging by masterminding new solutions for sustainability.

“The enthusiasm around the event showed us that the next generation of packaging designers is ready to step up to sustainability challenges,” comments Kathleen Burzycki, head of strategy and marketing for Henkel Consumer Goods Adhesives and jury member. “And we are ready to listen to them and work with them as we roll the Henkel DESIGNathon concept out globally.”