Packaging Strategies recently sat down with Natalie Kaczorowski and Todd Meussling of Fresh-Lock® to discuss the company’s development of the award-winning Costco Kirkland Signature® Ultra Clean Premium Laundry Detergent Pacs.

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) names Nestlé Waters North America as its 2019 Design for Recycling® (DFR) Award winner, in recognition of its innovative use of recycled plastic and its product design centered on recycling.

World Packaging Organisation has announced the 214 winners of the WorldStar Packaging Awards 2020. The judging session was held in Bali in November, during the 2nd WPO Board Meeting of 2019. 

Next generation of leaders honored for accomplishments and commitment to the packaging and processing industry.

Company’s packaging concept eliminates the need for separate parts, like caps, and reduces material waste by utilizing a single mono-material – polypropylene (PP) – that ensures easy recycling.

The winners of the Label Industry Global Awards 2024 were announced at Parkway Bank Park in Rosemont, Illinois, during the first evening of Labelexpo Americas 2024.

The annual Austrian Green Packaging Star Award has been recognizing the most sustainable packaging innovations for nearly 20 years.

Club Zero Refillable Milk is designed to cut the carbon footprint of Abel & Cole’s single-use milk bottles in half, with Abel & Cole estimating a saving of up to 450,000 single-use plastic milk bottles annually.

Unlike traditional carbon black, the new non-carbon black containers are detectable by Near Infra-Red (NIR) scanners for waste sorting processes. This means that they can be identified for recycling purposes.

Dozen’s Half & Half project is the first gold award won by Ukrainian designers at Pentawards since 2015 and only the second in the competition’s history.

Billing software for the Mac. A review by Kenneth S. Pope, Ph.D., for psychologists and mental health practitioners.

Office productivity software- A review of Dragon NaturallySpeaking by W. E. Benet, Ph.D., Psy.D., for psychologists and mental health practitioners.

Productivity Software for psychologists and mental health practitioners.

Information on billing and practice management software for psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health practitioners.

Though the WPO (World Packaging Organisation) turned to virtual judging for WorldStar 21 with two rounds of judging taking place, WPO members, representing 34 countries from all around the world, spent hours going through 345 submissions before meeting via the Zoom platform for final deliberations to choose the 194 winners of WorldStar Packaging Awards 2021.

Winning entries were recognized during a virtual awards ceremony live-streamed on March 10.

The first major vision of the company’s portfolio of solutions include an entirely redesigned control center and cloud-based APIs.

Recognizing the evolving needs of the company’s valued CLOUDFLOW users, Version 9 offers seamless integration with HYBRID Software’s CLOUDFLOW Plugin Suite.

Utilizing Budweiser’s vision, Trivium created a beer bottle that was both visually engaging and environmentally sustainable.

Following the introduction of the Wine Collection subcategory in 2021, Pentawards started receiving inquiries about the possibility of a Spirits Collection option.

Study unveils groundbreaking solutions to key quality challenges, paving the way for future innovations related to canned wine.

Automation plays a huge and ever-growing role in the packaging industry. No surprise, then, that the July issue of Packaging Strategies featured a story on automation and controls (From Smart Valves to Smart Factories).

This accolade underscores Duni Group's commitment to innovative and sustainable packaging solutions, solidifying its position as one of the industry's most influential players.

This new serveware, designed to work well in fast-paced food service environments, will replace traditional porcelain dishes for in-room breakfast service.

New product line provides fully compostable alternatives for over 40 popular packaging items that typically aren't available in compostable varieties – like window boxes and sandwich boxes.

Participants will leave the webinar with recommendations that municipalities, businesses, and organizations can undertake to invest in reusable packaging systems in their communities.

The X5 is the world’s first fully-automated erected box system and the most advanced, flexible, efficient and sustainable platform available for the e-commerce industry.

CPG companies are turning to warehouse automation solutions such as palletizers and mobile robots, according to the PMMI report.

Whether it's addressing labor shortages, increasing productivity or accommodating a growing SKU portfolio, the incorporation of palletizing and depalletizing systems has become vital for beverage warehouses.

Awards were presented in the categories of Design, Functionality & Convenience, Logistics & Material Flow, Sustainability, and more. The awards are a precursor to the Gold Awards that will be announced in September.

The new technology will enable producers, retailers and consumers to tell in real time whether the contents of a sealed food package are contaminated.

IoPP will showcase the winning packages at PACK EXPO Las Vegas, in IoPP booth C-1154 and the Showcase of Innovations, September 11 through 13, 2023. Amcor will also show the award-winning technologies in their exhibit, booth SU-7244.

Created by PKG Brand Design, the new brand logo connects directly to the Bumble Bee company heritage.

Logivations W2MO uses neural networks running on a GPU, which can "learn" certain patterns so that goods can be automatically recognized, counted and/or measured.

The interdisciplinary expert jury of the German Design Council awarded IQJET in the category "Excellence in Business to Business: Machines & Engineering" with the Gold German Innovation Award.

The TLMI Printing Excellence Awards celebrate outstanding printing and converting achievements in the North American Label and Packaging Industry.

Justin had the news from the People's Bank of China here:

• PBOC governor will maintain yuan exchange rate at a reasonable, balanced level

PBOC governor Pan Gongsheng emphasized the Bank will not let the yuan plummet without a fight:

• Will step up countercyclical adjustment
• Should resolutely guard against the risk of exchange rate overshoot

With the surging USD after Trump's win the yuan is just one of many weaker currencies:

The USD is moving higher.

• The EURUSD is against the 2024 low at 1.0600.
• The USDJPY is trading to new highs and has entered into a swing area between 154.54 in 155.09. The high price last week reached 154.704 and is the next upside target.

For the GBPUSD it is trading to new lows and moving away from it's broken 200 day moving average at 1.28178 broken earlier today. A new low is being made as I type at 1.27347.

That low is just above the 61.8% retracement of the move up from the April 2024 low at 1.27322. Break below that retracement level and traders will be looking toward a swing area between 1.2665 and 1.2685 as seller add to their run to the downside.

If buyers lean against the retracement level and move higher, getting back above 1.2777 is needed for the buyers to have some comfort for more upside probing. Absent that and the sellers are more in control.

Ultimately, a move back above the 200-day moving average at 1.28178 is needed to scare the sellers into buying.

Sellers are pushing, but the 61.8% retracement is now in the way and being tested. Will profit takers enter here against the risk defining level or will the sellers make another push to the downside?

Australian-founded broker FP Markets further cemented its position as a market leader, winning ‘Most Trusted Broker - Global’, ‘Broker of the Year - Asia’, and ‘Fastest Growing Broker - LATAM’ at the inaugural Finance Magnates Annual Award (FMAA) Gala. The event was held on Wednesday, 23 October, at the Lemon Park Venue in Nicosia, Cyprus.

Powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS), the FMAAs ‘celebrate the highest levels of innovation and excellence across fintech, Forex, payments, and trading platforms’. The winners were determined through a dual process: online voting accessible to industry professionals and the global trading community, and a distinguished panel of judges. Notably, global multi-asset Forex and CFD broker FP Markets was the only company to take home three FMAAs on the night.

FP Markets’ Global Head of Marketing, Andria Phiniefs, commented: ‘Being nominated along with some of the industry’s biggest names is a tremendous honour in itself. Winning three awards through votes from the global trading community and industry stakeholders marks a significant accomplishment for our team. This recognition inspires us to continue to pursue our mission, which we embarked on nearly twenty years ago: to be the preferred and most trusted broker for traders worldwide’.

FP Markets continues to leverage opportunities beyond existing markets, while maintaining a consistent standard of product and service quality for its clients globally. As part of the broker’s twentieth anniversary next year, the investing community can also expect further trading technology advancements and updates.

About FP Markets:

● FP Markets is a Multi-Regulated Forex and CFD Broker with over 19 years of industry experience.

● The company offers highly competitive interbank Forex spreads starting from 0.0 pips.

● Traders can choose from leading powerful online trading platforms, including FP Markets’ Mobile App, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, WebTrader, cTrader, Iress and TradingView.

● The company's outstanding 24/7 multilingual customer service has been recognised by Investment Trends and awarded ‘The Highest Overall Client Satisfaction Award’ over five consecutive years.

● FP Markets was awarded ‘Best Value Broker - Global’ for six consecutive years (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) at the Global Forex Awards.

● FP Markets was awarded the ‘Best Broker – Europe’ and the ‘Best Forex Partners Programme – Asia’ at the Global Forex Awards (2022, 2023, 2024).

● FP Markets was awarded ‘Best Trade Execution’, and ‘Most Trusted Broker’ and ‘Best Trade Execution’ at the Ultimate Fintech Awards in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

● FP Markets was crowned ‘Best CFD Broker - Africa’ at the 2023 FAME Awards.

● FP Markets was awarded ‘Best Trade Execution’ and ‘Most Transparent Broker’ at the Ultimate Fintech Awards APAC 2023.

● FP Markets was awarded the ‘Best Price Execution’ at the Brokersview Awards 2024, Singapore.

● FP Markets was awarded the ‘Best Trading Experience - Africa’ at the FAME Awards 2024.

● FP Markets was awarded ‘Most Transparent Broker’ and ‘Best Trading Conditions’ at the Global Ultimate Fintech Awards 2024.

● FP Markets was awarded ‘Best Forex Spreads APAC’ and ‘Best Trading Experience APAC’ at the 2024 Finance Magnates Pacific Summit.

● FP Markets regulatory presence includes the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) of South Africa, the Financial Services Commission (FSC) of Mauritius, the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC), the Securities Commission of the Bahamas (SCB), and the Capital Markets Authority (CMA) of Kenya.

For more information on FP Markets' comprehensive range of products and services, visit https://www.fpmarkets.com/

Warped Games, an indie game studio consisting of web3 and veteran game developers who have a legacy in creating player-focused games like LEGO Universe, Jumpgate, and Dragons and Titans, is on a mission to onboard millions of players to expand the Warped Universe, an immersive blockchain-powered game where players’ actions and decisions shape the environment and influence each season’s direction. After extensive exploration, Warped Games selected Sui as the blockchain to support this ambitious vision, thanks to its player-friendly approach and innovations in the Move language.

The announcement of Warped Games becoming an official partner with Mysten Labs arrives at a pivotal moment for blockchain gaming. With games like "Off The Grid" making strides toward mainstream adoption, this new collaboration marks another significant step in expanding blockchain gaming’s reach to a wider audience.

James Wing, Head of AAA Gaming Partnerships for Mysten Labs, commented on the official partnership: "Warped Games embodies what is exciting about this industry - founders and products that are built with passion to boldly address the wants of modern gamers. We are tremendously excited to partner with our friends at Warped and aid them in their journey to pioneer a new age of games on Sui."

Warped Universe: Empowering Players

Player empowerment is at the core of Warped Universe’s design. Here, players will be able to engage in PvE action in single-player or co-op mode, with an innovative multi-genre design giving players the flexibility to choose between turn-based or real-time genres across both ground and space gameplay. Players will also get to choose missions that influence the broader “meta-game,” affecting the balance of light and gravity for all, leading to wild and chaotic scenarios as each season aims to build a unique solar system in the Universe. This level of control redefines what it means to participate in a player-driven virtual world.

Breaking Barriers to Blockchain Accessibility

One of the largest obstacles facing blockchain adoption today is its intimidating complexity for newcomers. Traditional blockchain experiences involve managing seed phrases, navigating wallets, high fees, slow speed, and unfriendly, often intimidating transactions—barriers that can alienate potential users. Sui’s design eliminates these hurdles by offering a seamless, user-friendly blockchain experience required by games like Warped Universe, aiming to appeal to a mainstream gaming audience.

With Sui’s zkLogin feature, players can access the blockchain and create wallets using familiar credentials, like passkeys or existing logins, removing the need for seed phrases and technical know-how. For those who prefer greater control, Warped Universe will also allow players to connect their own self-custodied wallets, giving them the option to manage their assets independently. This accessibility empowers users to focus on what matters most—the game experience itself.

Enhanced NFT Utility with Move

Sui’s Move language and object model empower Warped Universe to create NFTs that go beyond static assets, offering dynamic, context-rich tokens that evolve with each player’s journey. Sui treats each asset as an individual, on-chain object with unique IDs and customizable fields, allowing NFTs to reflect player progression and deepen in-game immersion.

Innovations extend to the use of closed-loop tokens for in-game purchases and season pass NFTs, which act as "time capsules", allowing players to revisit exclusive content from past seasons. With each season in Warped Universe serving as a self-contained story arc, these season passes aren’t just NFTs—they’re gateways to the game’s evolving history, creating lasting value and enhancing player ownership.

Kiosk: Marketplace Re-Imagined

Kiosk is a decentralized system designed for commerce applications on the Sui network, similar to traditional markets where vendors sell goods or services from small, standalone booths. Just like in those markets, where individual sellers operate their own kiosks, owning the products on display and managing their own sales, with Kiosk, shared objects are owned by individual parties who store assets and may list them for sale as well as utilizing custom trading functionality, such as royalties and the ability to rent assets.

Walrus: Re-Defining Digital Ownership in Warped Universe

As Warped Universe expands, decentralized storage will play a crucial role in ensuring the authenticity and accessibility of in-game assets. Mysten Labs’ Walrus protocol is set to support this need, providing a secure and efficient way to store raw data and media files—such as images, audio, video, and other game assets—at low cost without compromising performance. Unlike traditional NFTs, which often store metadata off-chain on platforms like IPFS or AWS, Walrus enables both the NFT and its metadata to be stored in a decentralized manner. This integration introduces new ways for players in Warped Universe to experience genuine ownership of their digital assets, giving them the ability to store in-game captures or statistics, and creating a more immersive and reliable player-driven experience.

High Performance, Scalability, and Environmental Responsibility

In Warped Universe, players aren’t just playing a game; they’re building and defending entire solar systems each season, with their achievements and digital assets minted and transacted on-chain in the background. This model requires a blockchain capable of handling high transaction volumes both efficiently and affordably. Sui’s high throughput and low transaction costs make this possible, providing fast, cost-effective, and seamless on-chain transactions that support a robust gaming economy.

Sui also prioritizes environmental sustainability by using a delegated proof-of-stake (DPoS) consensus model rather than energy-intensive proof-of-work. With its efficient Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) architecture, Sui can process large transaction volumes with minimal environmental impact—aligning perfectly with Warped Games’ vision of a sustainable, responsible gaming ecosystem.

“With Sui, we can create an immersive, evolving on-chain gaming ecosystem where players can own, modify, and evolve assets without compromising the gaming experience,” said Adam Straney, Managing Director at Warped Games. “This approach lets us build an interconnected universe on a blockchain that’s fast, scalable, and environmentally responsible, supporting our vision of an accessible, seamless player-owned economy. Gamers can focus on having fun, with blockchain as a supportive tool rather than the centerpiece."

Looking Ahead with Warped Universe and Sui

Currently, the blockchain element in Warped Universe is the $WARPED token, an ERC-20 token designed to give holders a voice in game design, seasonal voting, discounts, potential rewards, and exclusives. While specific plans for the token’s future are yet to be announced, the Warped Universe team is committed to keeping current holders top of mind as they explore expanding to the Sui blockchain. Plans for the WARPED token, on-chain assets, skins, seasonal passes, and other elements will be shared in due time—stay tuned for updates.

As Warped Universe continues to develop, the teams at Warped Games and Mysten Labs are dedicated to working closely together to explore practical blockchain integration in games, enhancing player ownership, scalability, and immersive gameplay. Together, through Warped Universe and the Sui blockchain, they’re building a unique, player-driven experience that showcases the future of blockchain gaming.

About Warped Games

Warped Games (https://warped.games/) is an indie game studio dedicated to creating immersive, player-driven gaming experiences with a focus on blockchain integration. Known for pushing the boundaries of web3 technology, the team behind Warped Games combines industry veterans from both gaming and tech to bring innovative worlds like Warped Universe to life.

About Mysten Labs

Mysten Labs is a technology company focused on advancing blockchain infrastructure to support next-generation applications. Founded by experts in distributed systems, Mysten Labs developed the Sui blockchain, a high-performance, user-friendly platform designed to make blockchain technology accessible and scalable for mainstream audiences.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to the inclusion of $1 billion for a vaccine awareness campaign in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the following statement may be attributed to NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith: 

WASHINGTON, DC -- The National Association of Broadcasters Leadership Foundation announced today the finalists for the 2021 Celebration of Service to America Awards, recognizing outstanding community service by local broadcasters. One winner from each category will be announced during the Celebration of Service to America Awards program.

Washington, D.C. – The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) is now accepting nominations for the 2021 NAB Marconi Radio Awards and will be accepting submissions until May 31. Established in 1989 and named for inventor and Nobel Prize winner Guglielmo Marconi, the prestigious awards recognize overall excellence and performance in radio.