Le Musée du Cartonnage et de l’imprimerie to celebrate the best of cartonboard with exhibition

Le Musée du Cartonnage et de l’imprimerie in Valréas, France is hosting a new exhibition from April 2022, in partnership with Pro Carton, to celebrate environmentally friendly carton-based packaging.

Eighteen entries from the 2021 European Carton Excellence Awards will be on display at the museum for 12 months to highlight the very best of recyclable, renewable and biodegradable packaging designs. The exhibition includes the overall winner, Durero Packaging with Bodegas Balsamic, a luxurious gift pack for Bodegas Toro Albalà’s crystal bottle of aged Spanish balsamic vinegar, which was chosen as Carton of the Year for its aesthetic and unique structural design. The pack, made from Holmen Iggesund cartonboard, perfectly conveys the brand’s roots as it opens in a way that resembles a Spanish fan. Additionally, the hot copper stamping inside the pack reflects the carnation flowers native to Cordoba, where the brand is based. The effect of a blossoming flower is accentuated further by embossing on the outside of the pack which mirrors the opening of flower petals.

Other packs which will be displayed include Graphic Packaging International and BillerudKorsnäs PaperSeal® MAP Tray Burger Solution which reduces the use of single-use plastic by 80%, providing an environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional MAP trays. As well as being entirely recyclable, it is made from a renewable resource – cartonboard – produced from sustainably managed Scandinavian forests. Also showcased will be the Alzamora Group and BillerudKorsnäs’s beautiful GER Coffer which features luxurious gold stamping and a unique unwrapping experience. The two-piece hexagonal pack opens up to reveal high-end face creams, pushing the products inside forward for easy removal in the process.

Le Musée du Cartonnage et de l’imprimerie is based in Valréas, the French carton capital. It retraces the history of carton and cartonboard manufacturing from the mid-19th century to the present day. The packs will be showcased in their own display case, alongside information explaining why paper-based cartonboard is the future of packaging if manufacturers, designers and marketers want to build a truly circular economy.

Virginie Vincent-Jardin from Le Musée du Cartonnage et de l’imprimerie said, “We’re delighted to be partnering with Pro Carton to bring the sustainable packaging message to our visitors in a visual way. Most people will know that cardboard is recyclable – but the fact that it’s totally renewable and made from European forests shows how good cartonboard is for the planet. A lot of our visitors are school children so we are very excited to be delivering this important message about the environment to them in a creative way. I can’t wait for our visitors to learn more.”

Winfried Mühling, General Manager, Pro Carton added: “We are very excited to announce this partnership with Le Musée du Cartonnage et de l’imprimerie. The museum plays an important role in the history of cartons and cartonboard in France, so we feel very privileged to be a part of it. We are very much looking forward to seeing the award entries displayed in the window, showcasing what the future of packaging looks like and encouraging visitors to make environmentally conscious choices.”

The exhibition is open until 31 March 2023.

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