SIG and Hill-Smith Family Estates have received the Packaging & Design Award and the Sustainability Award at the 2025 Wine Industry Impact Awards for developing what the companies describe as Australia’s first recycle-ready bag-in-box wine packaging.
The packaging uses a bag made from SIG Terra RecShield, a mono-material film with a revised polymer structure that replaces the multi-layer materials typically used in cask bags. According to the companies, this enables the bag, tap and carton to meet Australia’s recyclability criteria and align with the Sustainable Packaging Guidelines of the Australian Packaging Covenant Organization and the 2025 National Packaging Targets.
The WISA judging panel described the solution as “a landmark advancement for wine packaging sustainability, combining technical excellence, industry collaboration, and measurable environmental benefits to set a new national standard for recyclable design”.
The pack was developed and manufactured at SIG’s Adelaide site with Winesmiths, a Hill-Smith Family Estates brand.
Carmen Houston, ANZ head of marketing & sustainability at SIG, said the awards highlight “the impact of genuine industry partnerships”, adding that the development “has only been possible through deep collaboration”.
Karl Martin, CEO of Hill-Smith Family Estates, said, “This recognition reflects Hill Smith Family Estates commitment to advancing sustainable packaging through collaboration. Sustainability is central to our future, and packaging plays a crucial role in that journey. Partnering with SIG to help commercialise this innovation allows us to accelerate meaningful change for both our business and the wider industry. We are incredibly proud to be recognized alongside them.”
Winesmiths plans to launch the pack in Australia in early 2026.
