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Student Design Challenge Winners Find Sustainable Alternatives for Produce Packaging

Pennsylvania College of Art & Design Students Win 2024 Competition

AF&PA CONTACT: Clara Cozort
(202) 463-2722; comm@afandpa.org

PPC CONTACT: Brian Westerlind
(413) 686-9178, brian@paperbox.org

ATLANTA, GA – Today, the Paperboard Packaging Alliance (PPA) announced the winners of the 2024 Student Design Challenge, an annual competition in which university students in leading sustainable packaging design programs must create innovative paper-based packaging solutions to meet real-world customer needs and marketing scenarios.

A joint initiative of the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) and the Paperboard Packaging Council (PPC), this year's PPA Design Challenge tasked design teams from universities across the country to create sustainable, stackable paperboard packaging for fresh produce products.

Student design projects from the following schools were named as winners:

  • 1st Place: Pennsylvania College of Art & Design: SPUDS Potatoes 
  • 2nd Place: Rochester Institute of Technology: Grovey Garlic
  • 3rd Place: California Polytechnic University: Lively Roots Potatoes 

“All of the projects submitted for the competition showcase the promising design and creativity of these up-and-coming paperboard packaging leaders,” said Heidi Brock, AF&PA President and CEO. “We are pleased to collaborate with sustainable packaging organizations like the PPC to support the Paperboard Packaging Alliance. Together, we are empowering the next generation of paperboard packaging decision makers with real-world design experience that prepares them for future opportunities in our industry.”

“Congratulations to this year’s winners and to all of the Design Challenge participants for their outstanding packaging designs,” said Ben Markens, PPC President. “Through the process, they created viable and sustainable solutions that will prepare them for successful careers in the packaging industry. We are thrilled to connect them with industry leaders at our annual Fall Conference this year in Atlanta.”

Additional acknowledgements were announced for the following entries:

  • People’s Choice Award: California Polytechnic University: Lively Roots Potatoes 

Honorable Mentions:

  • California Polytechnic University: Fun-Guys
  • California Polytechnic University: Ripe ‘n’ Ready

Shout Out:

  • University of Wisconsin Stout: Klamshell Killer
  • Toronto Metropolitan: Jay’s Cherries

The Paperboard Packaging Alliance honored the winners on September 30, during the 2024 Fall Meeting & Leadership Conference, which brought together more than 280 paperboard packaging professionals.

For more information, visit paperboardpackaging.org.

About the Paperboard Packaging Alliance

The Paperboard Packaging Alliance (PPA) is a joint initiative of the American Forest & Paper Association and the Paperboard Packaging Council. The mission is to promote the benefits of paperboard packaging to influence preference for these materials in packaging design and selection. PPA is a proud supporter of collegiate packaging and design programs across the U.S. and Canada, donating thousands of dollars in scholarships, materials, and classroom resources each year. Alliance membership includes companies representing the full range of mills and converters engaged in the production of paperboard packaging. Additional information about PPA can be found at www.paperboardpackaging.org.

About the American Forest & Paper Association

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) serves to advance public policies that foster economic growth, job creation and global competitiveness for a vital sector that makes the essential paper and packaging products Americans use every day. The U.S. forest products industry employs more than 925,000 people, largely in rural America, and is among the top 10 manufacturing sector employers in 44 states. Our industry accounts for approximately 4.7% of the total U.S. manufacturing GDP, manufacturing more than $435 billion in products annually. AF&PA member companies are significant producers and users of renewable biomass energy and are committed to making sustainable products for a sustainable future through the industry’s decades-long initiative — Better Practices, Better Planet 2030. For more information, visit www.afandpa.org. 

About the Paperboard Packaging Council

For 95 years, the Paperboard Packaging Council (PPC) has served as the premier North American association for converters of paperboard packaging and their suppliers. PPC works to grow, promote, and protect the paperboard packaging industry while providing its members with resources and tools to compete successfully in the marketplace. For more information, visit www.paperbox.org.