Hansol Paper 'Protego' Wins 2021 WorldStar Packaging Award

Eco-friendly Paper Packaging Developed with Proprietary Technology Recognized as Alternative to Plastic and Aluminum Packaging

Various packaging materials made with Hansol Paper's eco-friendly paper packaging material 'Protego,' which won the '2021 WorldStar Packaging Award' selected by the World Packaging Organization (WPO).
[Photo by Hansol Paper]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] Hansol Paper announced on the 26th that its self-developed eco-friendly paper packaging material 'Protego' has won the '2021 WorldStar Packaging Award' selected by the World Packaging Organization (WPO).

The WorldStar Packaging Award is an annual competition held by the WPO to promote technological advancement in the packaging industry. It recognizes innovative and excellent packaging technologies each year and is regarded as the highest authority in the global market.

Protego was selected as the winner in the 'Packaging Materials & Components' category due to its technological innovation that overcomes the limitations of paper packaging materials and its high sustainability evaluation.

This award is a remarkable achievement following last year's Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Award at the Korea Packaging Exhibition, signifying that Hansol Paper's advanced technology has been recognized not only domestically but also in the global packaging industry.

Protego, named after the Latin word meaning 'to protect,' is an eco-friendly packaging material developed with Hansol Paper's proprietary technology. By combining special treatment and coating technologies that were difficult to implement on conventional paper materials, it forms a barrier coating layer on the paper surface, blocking oxygen, moisture, and odors, thereby enhancing the preservation of contents.

It can replace plastic films or aluminum foils used in packaging various everyday products such as cosmetics, mask packs, coffee beans, snacks/cookies, health supplements, household goods, and quarantine mask packaging.

In particular, unlike the multilayer packaging method that uses 2-3 layers of plastic films or aluminum foils bonded together to preserve the quality of contents and block oxygen and moisture, Protego can replace these with a single material, contributing to cost reduction of packaging materials and shortening of processes, thereby improving productivity.

Protego is recyclable through separate disposal of paper types and is over 90% biodegradable, which can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 45%. Therefore, it is also attracting attention as an eco-friendly alternative material of growing global importance.

A Hansol Paper official stated, "Protego has been recognized for its world-class packaging competitiveness and technology by winning awards not only domestically but also at global packaging awards," adding, "Based on the technology accumulated by Hansol Paper, we plan to focus the company's capabilities on eco-friendly material businesses such as nanocellulose, PE-Free products, and 100% natural pulp paper tissues in the future."