Brother Wins WorldStar Award for Newly Designed Molded Pulp
Releases Global Video Showcasing Development Efforts

Brother Industries, Ltd. (Head Office: Nagoya; President: Kazufumi Ikeda) today announced that its newly developed compact and lightweight molded pulp cushioning material has won the WorldStar Award at the WorldStar Global Packaging Awards 2025, hosted by the World Packaging Organisation (WPO).

The WorldStar Competition is a global competition in the field of packaging that has been held since 1970. Packaging is eligible for entry only if it has received an award in a national or regional competition approved by the WPO. Brother's molded pulp became eligible after receiving an award at the Japan Packaging Contest 2024. This year's competition saw a record 550 entries from 40 countries, with 260 receiving WorldStar Awards. The award ceremony is scheduled to be held in Milan, Italy, on May 30.

The award-winning molded pulp was made smaller and lighter while maintaining its cushioning performance, reducing CO₂ emissions generated during production and transportation processes. In addition, by using Brother's unique impact simulation technology, the number of prototypes was reduced, enabling development of the molded pulp in a short period of time.^*1

Details of Brother's molded pulp development efforts are featured on its SDGs special website, "Brother SDGs STORY." The site also features interviews with project members and a video that globally communicates the molded pulp development process using simulation technology^*2.

Yumiko Iwadare, Managing Executive Officer (Printing & Solutions Business Division) at Brother Industries, Ltd. commented, "We are proud to have developed packaging that is sustainable and easy to recycle, even after they have fulfilled their role in delivering products safely to our customers. Additionally, this project has shown us that developing environmentally conscious technology is a strong motivating factor for our employees. Going forward, we will continue to work together to take on the challenge of creating innovations that support a sustainable society."

1. Details on the features of the molded pulp are also available in the news release (August 28, 2024) related to its award at the Japan Packaging Contest 2024:
   https://global.brother/en/news/2024/240828jpc
2. The video includes products that are not sold in the Japanese market.