On 17 October 2024, the Sleeve Label Awards 2024 were announced in Miami, Florida, USA. These prestigious awards, now in their tenth year, have been established to recognise outstanding achievements in the shrink-sleeve labelling industry worldwide.
A panel of independent experts, which included Dr. Séamus Lafferty, Consultant; Tom Hammer, Head of Technical Marketing at Siegwerk Narrow Web – USA; and Heath Luetkens, Executive Director of iC3D Software, served as judges for this year’s awards. They evaluated the entries based on numerous criteria, including printing and artwork quality, shrink application onto containers, converting and seaming, innovative features, and shelf appeal.
Given the record number of submissions and their quality, Five categories of awards were announced for 2024 edition. Corey M. Reardon, President and CEO of AWA Alexander Watson Associates, presented awards to the following companies:
Environmental CategoryWinner
Client: Super Coffee
Company: Brook + Whittle
Super Coffee stands as a deserving winner in the Environmental category, thanks to its innovative packaging solution that represents a significant step forward in the shrink sleeve’s sustainability journey. It provides up to 99% light blocking using a clear PET bottle. Moreover, the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) recognised clear PET shrink sleeves, and washable inks. This achievement highlights the converter’s technical expertise and commitment to sustainability, delivering a strong environmental solution, without sacrificing the aesthetics or quality of the shrink sleeve.
This enables brands to transition from difficult-to-recycle coloured PET to clear PET (bottle and sleeve), facilitating compatibility with recycling systems while still delivering the essential light protection properties that prevent spoilage, nutrient loss, or flavour change of the container’s contents. Clear PET has a higher recycling value, whereas coloured PET is often more costly to manage and frequently ends up in landfills or being recycled in lower-value applications. By adopting these innovative technologies, brands can introduce significant volumes of fully recyclable clear PET into the market.
Can Category Winner
Company: McDowell Label
Joint winners for the prestigious TD Sleeve Category
Client: Bo-Ho
Company: REYNDERS Label Printing
With flawless colour matching between the shrink sleeve and pump on a white bottle and simple yet striking graphics, Bo-Ho’s execution is so impeccable that the judges initially mistook it for direct print! The sleeve converting, application, and shrinking are among the finest the judges have seen. Bo-Ho exemplifies the versatility of shrink sleeve labels and reflects the brand owner’s and converter’s commitment to quality execution making it a deserving winner in the TD Sleeve category.
Client: Champagne Salmon
Company: IPE Labels & Sleeves
Best of Show
Client: Evian Coperni Limited Edition
Company: Sleever International
The Evian Coperni container stands above the rest as Best of Show. The design exudes luxury and elegance, and upon “looking closer” it becomes a deeply captivating and experiential label. Simple yet sophisticated graphics are flawlessly executed and encourage consumers to peer inside the bottle, where a star-filled universe of fashion and intrigue awaits. This unique experience is further enhanced by engaging with the bottle’s online experience through its QR code. The judges were thoroughly impressed by the meticulous attention to detail and the ambitious, flawless execution of the shrink sleeve label on this deceivingly complex-shaped bottle.
Sleeve Awards for 2025 are already open
Entries are now being accepted for the 2025 AWA International Sleeve Label Awards – the competition which, for the last 10 years, has annually documented the ground-breaking achievements that sleeve labelling has brought to today’s packaging industry.
https://events.awa-bv.com/AWASleeveLabelAwards2025
Caption: Best of Show (Client: Evian Coperni Limited Edition; Company: Sleever International)