Amcor Flexibles has scooped a Gold award at this month’s Flexible Packaging Association’s (FPA) Annual Achievement Awards, held in the US.

The FPA is the leading trade organisation for flexible packaging converters and suppliers. The Annual Achievement Awards honour packaging and converting organisations that demonstrate breakthrough technologies, printing techniques, package structures, environmental advantages and new end-uses.

"We are honoured to be recognised for our innovative packaging solutions that help save lives" said Jehanzeb Noor, vice-president and general manager for Amcor Flexibles Medical North America. "Our customers continuously challenge us to develop packaging solutions that take cost out while enhancing performance, and we are proud to meet that challenge and grow together."

Amcor Flexibles received the Gold Award in the ‘Technical Innovation’ category for Fortis™- Amcor’s Breather Bags for Medical Sterilization Packaging.

Amcor’s patent pending Fortis™ results from the innovative use of both the packaging materials and the package design (both part of the patent application). Amcor produces the coextruded (blown film) bag material. Our in-house, multi-layer blown film equipment enables the cost-effective use of thin layers of several resins to produce a highly engineered film. This film has both the strength, abuse-resistance and the tear-resistance necessary to protect medical instruments through gas sterilisation and the distribution process.

This same abuse and tear resistant bag film is engineered to be peelable using Amcor’s patented Core-Peel® technology. The innovation of peelability in the bag itself eliminates the need for a peelable header strip.

"The design of Fortis’ intuitive-use header opening makes aseptic removal of contents much easier – and reduces the risk of contamination to the sterile field," said Jesse Blake, director of product excellence and manufacturing strategy for Amcor Flexibles Medical North America. "Fortis™ breather bags deliver outstanding strength, breathability and sustainability," he added.

The goal of the FPA Annual Achievement Awards is to showcase the diverse uses for flexible packaging: 152 entries were received this year, 29 packages were honoured with achievement awards.