ITC Chennai sweeps SIES SOP Star Awards eighth edition

The eighth edition of the SIES SOP Star Awards saw a host of new developments in the entries submitted, with 42% of entries coming from converter/printer segments and 33% from packaging material manufacturers. The award categories in the SIES SOP Star Awards are aligned with the WorldStar categories to simplify the application process for winning companies to participate in the WorldStar Awards. 

ITC Chennai swept the awards by bagging 12 awards, UFlex Noida followed by bagging eight awards, Parksons Packaging, Mumbai won seven awards, SB-Constantia, Mumbai, Tata Consumer Products, Bengaluru, and Hindustan Unilever, Mumbai (skin cleansing) bagged six awards each, and TCPL Packaging, Mumbai bagged five awards.

The principal aspects of judging included packaging functions, convenience, sales appeal-on-pack branding/marketability, design/ergonomics, quality of execution, sustainability, cost reduction/economy of material, cost saving, and creativity and innovation.

The packaging materials and components category was closely followed by health and personal care and food categories, continuing to drive developments in packaging, majorly focussing on design, ergonomics, convenience, and sustainability. There was almost a two-fold increase in the number of entries focussing on recyclability and biodegradability compared to previous years, which emphasises the cognisant industry push towards packaging sustainability. The student/faculty category entries were received from Mumbai, Roorkee, Assam, and Dehradun with their out-of-the-box ideas and creativity.

The total number of entries received for the awards was 206, comprising 120 winners. 43 companies’ participated, and 11 companies participated for the first time. The jury members for the awards were: Sethunath Padmanabhan, director of Aliagroup and Reproflex3; Paul E Prakash, a packaging consultant; Kiran Prayagi, an expert/consultant in colour management, printing, and packaging industry; Shrirang R Chunekar, SIES SOP visiting faculty and alumnus; Mukund J Bhave, consultant, packaging development and project management; and Prof Prasad Balan Iyer, director of SIES School of Packaging.

All the winning entries now qualify to enter the WorldStar 2026 awards organised by the World Packaging Organisation (WPO).