A nylon solution to help people more easily transport water in impoverished areas around the world is the big winner of this year's DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation.

Called the Fritz Water Vest, the Diamond Award winner can carry up to 20 pounds of water easily and safely and is made by Solutions Inc.

"The Water Vest is a simplistic solution to a significant problem in the world. In developing the Water Vest, the company looked at packaging in its truest sense of delivering value to the consumer. The vest replaces the buckets that people use to carry and store water where clean water sources are far from their homes," Lead Judge David Luttenberger said in a video announcing the winner. "It reduces the physical stress that previous containers required and is a much easier way to carry 20 pounds of water.

"The multi-layer nylon structure provides a robust material suitable for multiple uses in rough environments. The anti-microbial agent in the structure inhibits the growth of mold, mildew and odors. The baffles throughout the vest prevent water from shifting the load during use. Together, these features provide a robust, hygienic and reusable carrying and storage pouch for water, helping to improve the lives of many people," said Luttenberger, also global packaging director of Mintel Group Ltd.

The DuPont Awards also recognized other packaging at three other levels of competition, Diamond Finalist, Gold and Silver awards. Here are the other plastics-related winners, along with comments from DuPont in the Diamond Finalist category:

Diamond Finalist

Cryovac OptiDure Abuse Bag from Sealed Air, USA. "This package represents a significant breakthrough in vacuum packaging for protein, where there is a typical industry leaker rate of three percent and a 1 percent reduction in leaker rates could eliminate $140 million in food waste globally."

Light-weight sustainable agrochemical auto-stackable 15 liter PET containers from Dow AgroSciences, Germany. "The containers provide considerable functionality in stacking and distribution and allow greater ease of product dispensing than traditional containers."

MGI JETvarnish 3D digital decoration process for folding cartons and labels from Marrs Printing & Packaging, USA. "This technology allows companies to achieve a premium branded look for their folding cartons and labels without the time, cost and expense of using traditional dies, screens or plates."

Plantic R: Ultra-high barrier renewable and recyclable packaging material from Kuraray (Plantic Technologies Ltd.), Australia. "The technology combines the best of recyclable materials (PET) and Plantic's bio based ultra-high barrier material, which dramatically increases the shelf life of packaged meats."

DuPont gave Gold Awards to the following:

DuPont Co. The AmorePacific ice cream package.

Design realization with breakthrough technology enhancing productivity and less footprint from AmorePacific, South Korea; 140 milliliter mini cup ice cream package: Closure PP in-mold label with spoon inside, cardboard cup and Alu/PE sealing from Froneri, Brazil; Insignia Freshtag from Insignia Technologies, United Kingdom.

MosquitoPaQ Outdoor Zone no-bite spatial repellent pouch by PPi Technologies Group, USA; The Bibigo kimchi jar combining tradition and science from CJ Cheiljedang, South Korea. PepsiCo's Granola Goes Nuts cross-directional laser scored flow wrapper from PepsiCo and Printpack Packaging Inc., USA; and Vento advanced coffee packaging with integrated degassing system from Amcor Flexibles, Switzerland.

DuPont gave Silver Awards to the following:

DuPont Co. A silver award winner for direct object printing.

Direct object printing for full package decoration from Plastipak Packaging, Inc., USA; FUJI·M·O flexible packaging for the inkjet-gravure hybrid printing machine from Fuji Tokushu Shigyo Co. Ltd., Japan.

How2Recycle, the next generation recycling label for packaging from GreenBlue, USA. Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Bakery Delights tactile packaging from Bemis Co. Inc., USA; and Lightweight 20-ounce Vitaminwater container with PowerStrap and Active Hinge technologies from Amcor Rigid Plastics, USA.

"The DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation demonstrate how creative, committed and agile the packaging industry is in addressing global issues and consumer needs," said Bernard Rioux, global packaging leader, DuPont Performance Materials, in a statement.