Sonoco’s Orbit™ lid has received the inaugural User-Friendly Packaging award at the PackNorth Award, following nominations from members of the Swedish Rheumatism Association. The new category recognises packaging solutions that are intuitive, accessible and straightforward for people of all abilities.
Members of the Swedish Rheumatism Association proposed Sonoco’s innovative metal lid for glass jars as a contender in the new User-Friendly Packaging category. The Association also encouraged the Nordic packaging competition to establish an award focused on inclusive design. Its purpose is to recognise and advance packaging that delivers a practical experience for every user. Following submissions from the Association and its members, the judging panel selected Sonoco’s Orbit™ metal lid as the category winner.
The jury’s citation read:
“The Orbit lid stands out for its user-centred and thoughtfully engineered design, addressing a well-known challenge associated with opening glass jars. Its intelligent construction reduces the need for strength and fine motor skills, making both opening and reclosing easier, more intuitive and accessible to a wider range of users. A strong example of how functional design can make everyday life easier.”
Stina Nordström, Secretary General of the Swedish Rheumatism Association, presented the award to Sonoco at the Empack packaging exhibition in Stockholm. At the ceremony, she outlined the reasons why the Association and its Easy to use initiative support the new recognition: “If we cannot open a package, it does not matter how attractive, sustainable or innovative it may be. None of these qualities matter if the packaging is difficult to open, impossible to reseal and cumbersome to recycle.”
Nordström urged packaging manufacturers to treat ease of use as a strategic investment rather than an added expense. She also called on brand owners to ensure that consumers value the product instead of becoming frustrated by its packaging.
The award recognises Orbit’s intelligent two-piece construction. By updating a familiar packaging format, Sonoco has created a closure that improves functionality and offers a more accessible user experience. The achievement reflects wider food and beverage industry trends, including food manufacturing trends and food processing technology that prioritise usability alongside performance.
Packaging innovation is also increasingly connected to food distribution trends, food and drink industry innovation, and food and drink sustainability. As food and drink regulations evolve and food and drink packaging becomes more sophisticated, brands must also consider food and drink consumer trends and the role of food and drink marketing in communicating practical value.
“Better Packaging, Better Life is the promise behind everything we do at Sonoco. Packaging should make daily life simpler, not harder, and ease of use is an essential part of that. We are proud that the Swedish Rheumatism Association has recognised Orbit as easy to use, as this independent validation shows that our work makes a real difference for consumers. We sincerely thank the Association for its important work in championing accessibility, and we will continue to put the consumers at the heart of our innovation”, said Ghulam MOEEN UD DIN, Digital Project Leader at Sonoco.
“I hope this new award category will not only highlight good examples but also inspire the entire industry to develop packaging that works for all consumers,” said Stina Nordström.