Anchor Packaging and Pizza Hut have received the 2026 Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) Recycling Leadership Award for Package Design Innovation for their co-developed wing bowl, a recyclable container designed to keep chicken wings hot during delivery and carryout.
The redesigned Pizza Hut wing bowl is said to offer superior food protection for delivery and carryout orders. Its design allows wings to be sauced directly in the container, which the companies say shortens prep time and improves operational efficiency. Customers can shake the container to recoat the wings before eating.
On the sustainability side, the container incorporates post-consumer recycled polypropylene (PP) content. According to the companies, its design removes carbon black and excess mineral fillers to improve recyclability, and is said to unlock a previously unavailable source of food-grade PP at scale for recyclers and brands seeking recycled content.
Anchor Packaging, now part of Georgia-Pacific’s foodservice solutions platform, was a co-recipient of the award, which the APR said recognized the company’s role in the design and development of the bowl.
“This recognition by the Association of Plastic Recyclers is an exciting moment for Anchor Packaging, as well as for our partner, Pizza Hut,” said Jeff Wolff, president – Anchor Packaging. “Together, we’ve developed and manufactured an innovative product that excels in food-to-go performance, and its recycled content paves a path to future increases in the use of recycled content by other companies.”
“Receiving this award, shoulder-to-shoulder with Anchor, affirms our commitment to advancing packaging sustainability without compromising quality or efficiency – and highlights the strength of our successful partnership,” said Kat Smith, packaging engineering manager – Pizza Hut.
The second annual APR Recycling Leadership Awards, themed ‘Unlocking the Future of Plastics Recycling’, recognize packaging designers, manufacturers, researchers, and innovators working to improve recycling for plastics packaging. The winners were announced on 25 February 2026.
