• Australians at WorldStars 2025.
    Australians at WorldStars 2025.
  • A night of celebration in Milan's Alcione Theatre.
    A night of celebration in Milan's Alcione Theatre.
  • Caps & Closures
    Caps & Closures
  • Integrated Plastics
    Integrated Plastics
  • TrendPac
    TrendPac
  • Sealed Air
    Sealed Air
  • Luciana Pellegrino and Nerida Kelton, who picked up Apex Brands' trophy.
    Luciana Pellegrino and Nerida Kelton, who picked up Apex Brands' trophy.
  • Luciana Pellegrino and Lindy Hughson, who picked up two trophies on behalf of BioPak.
    Luciana Pellegrino and Lindy Hughson, who picked up two trophies on behalf of BioPak.
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The World Packaging Organisation’s annual WorldStar Awards ceremony took place in Milan on 30 May, with strong representation from our region, which finished 4th in the world overall with 19 general awards, and added three special awards to the tally on the night. PKN joined the Aussies in attendance.

It was a glorious night of celebration at the Alcione Theatre in downtown Milan as the WPO's WorldStar team, led by VP for marketing Soha Attalah, pulled out all the stops to give award winners the recognition they were due. The ceremony brought together packaging professionals from around the world during the IPACK-IMA trade show week, reinforcing the international spirit of the awards.

Creating a night to remember: WorldStar Awards curator Soha Atallah (left) and WPO president Luciana Pellegrino.
Creating a night to remember: WorldStar Awards curator Soha Atallah (left) and WPO president Luciana Pellegrino.
Flying the Aussie flag: AIP's Nerida Kelton, Caps & Closures's Brendon Holmes, PKN's Lindy Hughson
Flying the Aussie flag: AIP's Nerida Kelton, Caps & Closures's Brendon Holmes, PKN's Lindy Hughson

This year’s edition marked a record-breaking achievement, with more than 550 entries submitted from 40 countries, demonstrating the growing reach and relevance of the WorldStar Awards as the most prestigious global packaging competition. Of these, 260 entries were honoured across a broad range of categories encompassing Food, Beverage, Health & Personal Care, Packaging Materials & Components, Transit, and more.

Those in attendance from Australia were Sealed Air Corporation, Caps & Closures, Integrated Plastic, TrendPac, Australasian Institute of Packaging, and PKN Packaging News. Helping pick up some of the trophies on the night for absentee winners were AIP's Nerida Kelton, who stepped up for New Zealand company Apex Brands, and Lindy Hughson, who picked up two awards for BioPak.

Wearing her other hat for the evening as VP Sustainability & Save Food for the WPO World Packaging Organisation, Kelton also presented the trophies to the winners for Sustainability and Save Food Packaging special awards.

In the Special Awards category, Don Smallgoods (George Weston Foods) were recognised twice for the innovative Don Deli Cuts packaging design, winning Gold for the Save Food Packaging special award and Silver for the Accessible & Inclusive special award. Aussie start-up Naked Rivals was awarded Bronze in the Save Food Packaging special category.

 

Food & Drink Business

The team that shook up Australia’s cracker market segment is back, this time with the snack category in its sights. After selling Gourmet Food Holdings and brands including OB Finest and Olina’s Bakehouse to Mondēlez International in early 2021, the seasoned FMCG operators have launched SnackHQ and its first brand, ReFil.

Victorian food manufacturer and distributor, Katoomba Global Foods (KG Foods), has acquired Paris Creek Farms (PCF) from Maggie Beer Holdings (MBH), three years after the company first announced it would offload its dairy assets.

The latest research from IWSR has shown that overall growth is slowing in Asia Pacific’s beverage alcohol scene. A market that has previously been strongly driven by Australia is undergoing significant change as alcohol consumption declines, with emerging regions taking the lead.