'Kahaan' by Trent University student bags the Alupro-sponsored category award at 2023 Student Starpack competition

The Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation (Alupro) announced the winner of the 2023 Student Starpack Awards under the 'replacing multi-material packaging category’.'Kahaan,' a suite of reusable and recyclable packing materials for cooked meals by Nottingham Trent University's James Albosh, won the first prize. Using the theme of the competition of replacing multi-material packaging, such as cardboard and film, with an indefinitely recyclable aluminium solution, James Albosh highlighted the true versatility of the non-ferrous metal through his design.

"The project really encouraged me to think outside of the box when considering the application of aluminium in sustainable packaging design. Developing the concept was a lot of fun and enabled me to explore the properties of the material and its many capabilities," added James Albosh.

In addition to receiving £500 to aid with his studies, James will be given a VIP tour of one of Crown Packaging's cutting-edge UK drink can manufacturing factories. The tour will include behind-the-scenes facility access and a Q&A session with the senior design team - a priceless reward. 'Kahaan', inspired by camping cookware, enables customers to simply stack items on each other. At the same time, a separate handle allows the container to be used as a hob-cooking dish.

Tom Giddings, executive director at Alupro, stated, “All of the entries submitted this year impressed the judging panel, but James’ design certainly stood out. Our brief encouraged applicants to think about the use of aluminium in innovative packaging design and Kahaan demonstrated that perfectly. The concept was incredibly well designed, with the unique bonus of the stove-top cooking feature demonstrating the true versatility of aluminium. A deserved winner of this year’s award. Congratulations, James!”