WorldStar Packaging Award goes to Recycling Record Holder

Werner & Mertz and cooperation Berry Global win award for new spray head

For the second time, a prestigious award has been given to the newest innovation from Werner & Mertz. For its spray head designed for the circular economy, the Mainz family company, together with cooperation partner Berry Global, has received the WorldStar Packaging Award 2023. In September the innovation was honored with the German Packaging Award Award 2022 in the Sustainability category.

From 488 submissions, the 45-member international jury for the World Packaging Ogranization (WPO) selected the winners from 37 countries in 18 categories. Werner & Mertz and Berry Global jointly received the WorldStar Packaging Award 2023 in the Household category. The official awards ceremony will take place during the Interpack trade fair in Düsseldorf on 6 May 2023.

“We are pleased about this important international recognition of our conscientiously practiced circular economy. It was a challenge to develop this trigger spray head because we wanted to put a high share of recyclate in the functional parts, noticeably reduce the overall weight and increase the trigger’s performance,” said Werner & Mertz owner Reinhard Schneider.

“The 3R circular trigger sprayer demonstrates Berry’s sustainable design capabilities and the significant benefits it can bring to our customers,” said Vincent Clauzel, EVP & GM Berry Consumer Packaging International. “We are delighted that our successful partnership with Werner & Mertz has once again been recognised by this prestigious award.”

Among the goals of the joint project were:

• Minimum use of a homogeneous material (polypropylene) for optimized recyclability
• Maximum use of recyclate with a guarantee of durability and stability
• Modular system design to reduce complexity

The team succeeded on all points and developed a new spray head that is a record holder in sustainability.

Minimum material use and optimized recyclability
The weight of the spray head was reduced to a minimum. It is the lightest of its kind, with 18 percent less weight than the conventional trigger-operated spray heads on the German market. The spray head is completely recyclable. Its total weight is divided into 97.6 percent polyolefins and just 2.4 percent polyethylene for the valve. Both plastics, categorized in the same polymer group, can be mixed for recycling purposes.

Maximum use of recyclate with high performance
The spray head is the first to have a high recyclate share (29%) in the functional, interior parts of the pumping mechanism – a technical innovation. The spraying performance has been optimized again and the pump, even more effective than the previous model, provides a minimum of 5,000 pumping actions. That means it can be used to refill more than 11 original Frosch bottles at home.

Modular design reduced complexity
The modular design of the system with different nozzle options allows the user to apply the cleaning product as spray or foam. Eventually the innovative spray head will be used for all cleaning product bottles for the Frosch, Green Care Professional and Tana Professional brands.

The cooperation partners again set a recycling standard with this innovation that‘s incredibly lightweight, completely recyclable and made with a good share of Post-Consumer Recyclate in mechanical parts.