EnviroPAK®, a leading manufacturer of custom molded fiber packaging solutions, is pleased to announce that they have won the prestigious 2023 IoPP AmeriStar Award in “Sustainable Packaging” innovation for RIO Products fishing spoolers.
EnviroPAK’s award winning entry consisted of a custom fishing line spooler manufactured using 100% biodegradable molded fiber; replacing the previous plastic-based material. It’s the first time a spooler has been engineered to completely dissolve if lost or dropped in a lake, ocean, stream or river, leaving no trace in the environment. This met RIO’s sustainability mission and has resulted in a “greener” brand appeal with eco-conscious fishing consumers.
“Plastic, non sustainable spoolers have been an industry standard for decades and pose a real risk to the fragile ecological balance,” states Matt Ziegler, Business Development Manager at EnviroPAK. “Winning the Ameristar award for sustainable packaging reinforces the fact of why 93% of 250 of the world’s largest companies are focused on environmentally friendly, sustainable practices and our custom molded fiber packaging helps them achieve those goals.”
AmeriStar is considered one of the most highly regarded award shows for the entire packaging industry with just twenty seven winners in eight categories for 2023. EnviroPAK was among a select group of nationally recognized brands such as 3M, Coca-Cola, General Mills, Mars Wrigley, Pentel, AXE, Estée Lauder and Néstle Purina.
In addition to sustainability, the molded fiber spooler engineered by EnviroPAK met RIO’s stringent functionality requirements and saved the company six cents per unit. That’s an estimated 12% annual production cost savings for hundreds of thousands of spoolers they sell each year.