Seaman Paper wins Sustainability Award at Avant-Garde 2026 with Vela

Recognition from Packaging Première highlights the growing role of material innovation in shaping more responsible fashion systems.

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Seaman Paper has been recognised in the Sustainability category at the Avant-Garde Awards 2026, presented during Packaging Première in Milan, for its Vela paper packaging solution.

The recognition reflects a broader shift across the fashion industry: packaging is no longer just a functional element, but an increasingly visible and influential part of a brand’s environmental and experiential impact.

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From packaging necessity to brand lever

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Plastic polybags remain the dominant format in fashion packaging, with billions of units used every year, most designed for single use and rarely recycled. As regulatory pressure increases and consumer expectations evolve, packaging is becoming a strategic component of both sustainability and brand experience, shaping how products are perceived from the very first interaction.

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A platform designed to replace plastic

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Vela is Seaman Paper’s paper packaging platform designed to replace plastic polybags at scale. it combines product protection, operational efficiency, and material circularity, enabling brands to transition away from plastic without compromising performance or presentation. This approach extends across different formats, from recycled paper solutions such as Vela Renew to transparent paper alternatives, all developed within a circular-by-design framework and applied across a wide range of packaging solutions.

Recognition beyond sustainability

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The Avant-Garde Awards recognise innovation across packaging design, materials, and sustainability. Being recognised in the Sustainability category signals not only material innovation, but also the growing importance of packaging in shaping brand perception.

Research conducted with Quad’s Accelerated Marketing Insights team shows that packaging material directly influences how consumers engage with and interpret a brand — from the time spent interacting with packaging to how sustainability and quality are perceived, as highlighted in the analysis of paper packaging and the brand experience in fashion.

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A broader industry direction

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This recognition reflects a wider shift taking place across the fashion industry.

Packaging is no longer treated as a purely operational layer, but as an integral part of the product experience. One that shapes perception, communicates intent, and reinforces brand values from the very first interaction.

As expectations around sustainability continue to evolve, material choices are becoming more visible and more consequential. What was once secondary is now part of how brands are understood and remembered.

From recognition to real-world impact

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As the industry continues to move away from plastic, solutions like Vela demonstrate how performance and responsibility can coexist at scale. The recognition at Avant-Garde 2026 is not only an achievement, but a reflection of a broader direction the industry is taking.

All winning projects will be showcased at Packaging Première in Milan, from 19 to 21 May, with the Avant-Garde Winners Ceremony taking place on 21 May (12:00–13:00, Trend Hall).

For those attending, it offers a closer look at how packaging innovation is shaping the future of fashion.