Pretium Packaging, a leading North American manufacturer of plastic containers and closures, has won two international Worldstar awards for its SureHandle™ polyethylene terephthalate (PET) container which features an integrated handle. The Worldstar awards are presented by the World Packaging Organisation.

SureHandle was honored in both the Worldstar food and beverage categories, making it only one of five U.S.-based companies that were cited for packaging excellence in this international competition. This year, 319 packages in 12 categories were entered. Winners will be recognized in an Awards Gala Ceremony on May 15, 2019, in Prague.

Pretium Packaging used technology from Practically Impossible Labs, Houston, Texas, to develop the SureHandle™ stock container line. It is currently available in a 64-ounce, 38-400 mm finish, as well as a 2-liter size. The line was developed to provide brand owners with significant shelf differentiation, handling convenience and aesthetics that were not previously possible.

There have been a variety of attempts over the years to develop handled PET containers, but most have fallen short of the mark. SureHandle™ is a “first-of-its-kind” bottle because it comes out of the injection mold with the handle already in place. (Unlike traditional preforms, the SureHandle™ preform features an injection molded handle integrated into the side wall.)

This new technology creates new possibilities for many products—including beverages, foods and household and industrial chemicals—that could benefit from a monolayer PET container with an ergonomic handleware solution.

In order to be eligible to enter the prestigious Worldstar global competition, a package has to first be recognized in a major competition in their own country. SureHandle had been previously awarded the “Best of Show” Ameristar honor from the Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP), in addition to winning the Beverages, Non-alcoholic and Food, Shelf Stable categories.