The magic behind a great pack: Insights from the London Packaging Week Innovation Awards 2025
At first glance, packaging might seem like just a container. But step closer, and the story unfolds: the precision of a mechanical lift, the sheen of a perfectly finished label, the thrill of sustainable innovation. The winners of the 2025 London Packaging Week Innovation Awards reveal the unseen craft, creativity, and collaboration that transform a pack into something magical.
With entries for the Innovation Awards 2026 open until Friday 24 April, this is the perfect moment for brands to showcase their innovation. Winners will be revealed at London Packaging Week on 16 & 17 September 2026 at the Excel, London, and finalists will be presented to a crowd of industry leaders and influencers, providing an unrivalled platform to highlight creativity and inspire the wider sector.
Consumer Pack Innovation: Heights – Vitals+
For Jack Richards, Retention Manager at Heights, the Vitals+ bottle is more than a container, it is a symbol.
“The packaging has always been a really important part of our brand,” he said. “The bottles become a brand symbol, so to see it recognised is really important. In a space where many supplements are same-same, ours is designed to stand out, something you want to interact with every day.”
Consumer Homeware Innovation: Aroma Theory – Cashmere Candle
Christina Miseviciute, founder of Aroma Theory, described her award as a moment of manifestation.
“I didn’t expect to win,” she said. “Winning this award is just going to open so many doors.”
Her packaging uses misalium, a mushroom-based material that grows in seven days and composts within 45 days, showing that sustainability can be playful, elegant, and groundbreaking.
Food Packaging Innovation: Hotel Chocolat – Extra-Thick Easter Egg
For Hotel Chocolat, luxury and sustainability came together. William Brown, Packaging Designer, explained:
“The whole pack is completely curbside recyclable in the UK, which is really important. We also included cacao nib waste in the sleeve. It is about pushing boundaries while still looking like a luxury product. Winning motivates us to keep innovating.”
Beauty Accessory Innovation: Curtis Packaging / Trinny London – Christmas Gift Bag
Rob Finnigan, New Business Development Director of Curtis Packaging, highlighted the collaborative spirit behind the Trinny London bag.
“It’s fabulous to win, especially for such a prestigious customer,” he said. “Innovation is the future of everything we do. Projects like this showcase how beautiful packaging can deliver both brand and luxury expectations.”
Haircare Packaging Innovation: SLG Brands – Rhyme & Reason
Sustainable materials took centre stage for SLG Brands. Jeffrey Veiro, Head of Research & Development, reflected:
“What we’ve shown is that using 100% PCR is achievable at a premium level, it meets quality, consumer needs, and aesthetics.”
Colin O’Kell, Technical Packaging Manager, added:
“Promoting sustainable packaging is part of the brand ethos. This platform lets us share that message and gain recognition from peers across the industry.”
Skincare Packaging Innovation: Daisyface
For Daisy Schaffer, founder of Daisyface, the award was both personal and industry-shaping.
“It means a lot to be recognised for all the hard work,” she said. “When bigger brands see smaller brands innovating, it encourages them to do the same. Innovation spreads when it is visible, and that is exciting for the whole packaging community.”
Perfume Packaging Innovation: The Art of Perfume – Pierre de Velay by Roja Dove
Bill Smith of The Art of Perfume emphasised the human craftsmanship behind luxury packaging.
“This award recognises the people nobody sees, the factory teams producing the quality,” he said. “Our brief was to make something luxurious yet sustainable. We added theatre with a pop-up bottle mechanism, giving a special, memorable experience.”
Everyday Drinks Innovation: Hunter Luxury / Hendrick’s Gin – The Whimsical Watering Can
Paul Hamilton, Sales & Marketing Director at Hunter Luxury and Emily Ng from William Grant & Sons highlighted the pack’s playful, disruptive design.
“This is a real disruptor pack,” Hamilton said. “It takes something never done before and puts it in front of hundreds of thousands of consumers.”
Emily added:
“It ticks multiple boxes, value creation, consumer experience, storytelling, and it re-energises the gin category. Be brave and put yourself forward, you’ve got to enter to win.”
Premium Drinks Innovation: Knockout Design / Hennessy – Spirit of Travel
Dominic Burke, founder of Knockout Design & Innovation, reflected on materials innovation.
“Early pulp technology allowed us to maintain the bottle’s iconic form while adding sustainability benefits,” he said. “For the team and clients, seeing this work recognised is fantastic. You’ve got to be in it to win it.”
Luxury Packaging Innovation: Bill Amberg Studio / Ephemerus Concepts / Macallan
Bill Amberg highlighted craftsmanship and theatrical design.
“The principle was to create theatre, when you open the casket, the bottles lift up through an innovative mechanical mechanism,” he said. “Showcasing what beautiful leatherwork can do for a product’s profile is a fantastic opportunity.”
Luxury Packaging Innovation: Glenmorangie / Zone Creations
Elaine Cormack of Glenmorangie Company reflected on bold creativity:
“With real innovation awards, when you get a strong result and recognition, it really means everything,” she said.
Jamie Hale of Zone Creations added:
“Having a brand willing to explore playful, unique designs drives where art and packaging meet.”
Sustainability Innovation: PA Consulting / Diageo – Dry Moulded Fibre Bottle
For PA Consulting, the Sustainability Innovation award recognised years of collaboration and breakthrough thinking. Jamie Stone, representing the consultancy, highlighted the importance of partnership in bringing new technologies to life.
“For us, it’s a really great accolade,” he said. “Breakthrough innovation takes a lot of time and it takes a lot of partnership. Having big brands like Diageo sponsor and support our technology helps us move forward.”
The award-winning project focuses on dry moulded fibre bottles, developed in collaboration with Diageo and Johnnie Walker as part of a wider consortium exploring more sustainable packaging solutions.
“Every technology needs to get out there,” Stone explained. “You need people to understand it, so winning awards like this shows we are moving in the right direction, step by step.”
Across categories, from luxury whiskies to whimsical watering cans, sustainable skincare to disruptive haircare, one truth emerges. Great packaging is never accidental. It is the product of vision, skill, and teamwork, transforming a container into an experience, a story, and a moment of delight.
The 2025 London Packaging Week Innovation Awards winners show that packaging is more than protection, it is theatre, storytelling, and magic. Behind every great pack are the people whose creativity, craft, and daring ideas make it possible.
If your brand is ready to showcase its innovations, enter the Innovation Awards 2026 before Friday 24 April 2026 and put your work in front of industry leaders at London Packaging Week on 16 & 17 September 2026 at the Excel, London. Don’t miss the chance to be recognised, inspire your peers, and celebrate the magic behind your pack.
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