The finalists in the Best Packaging category of The Hive Awards 2026, run by PKN’s stablemate Food & Drink Business, reflect a clear shift in the industry: solutions must now deliver on sustainability without compromising performance or production realities.
Spanning rigid, flexible and fibre formats, this year’s shortlist highlights advances in mono-material design, recycled content integration, and next-generation substrates engineered for real-world conditions. Just as importantly, each finalist demonstrates a pathway to scale – a critical factor as brands move from pilot projects to full commercial adoption.
Presented here in alphabetical order, the finalists illustrate how packaging innovation is evolving across the value chain.
AmPrima recycle-ready packaging for shredded cheese – Amcor Flexibles
AmPrima represents a major step forward in transitioning complex food packaging formats to recycle-ready solutions. Designed as a mono-PE structure, it replaces traditional multi-material laminates used for shredded cheese, which have historically delivered performance but limited recyclability.
The innovation lies in achieving equivalent barrier properties, puncture resistance, and machinability within a recyclable format that meets Australasian Recycling Label requirements. The pack integrates seamlessly into existing production lines, enabling brand owners to switch without operational disruption.
Already commercialised at scale, and rolled out in Australia & New Zealand through Fonterra’s shredded cheese range, AmPrima demonstrates real-world impact, with the shift estimated to remove significant volumes of non-recyclable material from the market. By aligning performance, recyclability, and scalability, it reflects a broader industry transition towards circular flexible packaging.
BIB pouch for hot-fill cream cheese – Close the Loop Packaging
This mono-material Bag-in-Box pouch developed for Mondelez International marks a breakthrough in high-performance flexible packaging by enabling hot-fill capability within a predominantly polyethylene structure. Using BOPE as the print substrate, the design replaces traditional multi-material laminates while delivering two to three times the strength of standard PE films. The pouch withstands hot-fill temperatures of 80°C, maintaining integrity through filling, distribution, and ambient storage.
The innovation resolves a long-standing trade-off between performance and recyclability. By integrating the spout into a single polymer family, the entire pack can enter PE recycling streams without separation. The structure also reduces material usage and eliminates cold chain requirements, delivering significant supply chain efficiencies.
BulletProof digitally printed cans – East Coast Canning + Printing
East Coast Canning + Printing’s BulletProof cans advance digitally printed beverage packaging by addressing a critical limitation: durability. The innovation lies in an engineered aluminium substrate with an integrated protective surface, built into the can during manufacture rather than applied post-print. This significantly improves resistance to scratching and handling damage across filling, transport, and retail environments.
The solution enables high-resolution graphics, short runs, and rapid product iteration without compromising performance. It is also compatible with high-temperature pasteurisation processes, expanding its application across categories such as RTD coffee and dairy-based beverages.
By eliminating labels and maintaining a mono-material aluminium format, the pack supports recyclability while reducing waste from overproduction, setting a new benchmark for digitally printed cans.
Holy Carp – Heliograf
Holy Carp reimagines one of the most ubiquitous single-use plastic items in foodservice, replacing the traditional soy sauce fish with a plastic-free, home compostable alternative made from moulded plant fibre. The innovation lies in maintaining functionality and consumer familiarity while shifting to a renewable, bio-based format. A flexible diaphragm design enables the pack to dispense liquid when squeezed, replicating the performance of plastic equivalents.
The concept also addresses supply chain inefficiencies by supplying units empty for in-store filling, reducing shelf-life constraints and transport impacts. Manufactured from agricultural by-products using established fibre processes, the solution demonstrates how small-format packaging redesign can deliver significant environmental gains at scale.
Masarap Ube Kinampay pouch – Titan Packaging
The Masarap Ube Kinampay pouch elevates a traditional product through a combination of structural engineering, barrier performance, and premium shelf design. The wide-format stand-up pouch is designed for scoopability, improving usability while maintaining strong on-shelf presence.
A high-barrier laminate protects sensitive anthocyanins from UV degradation, preserving product quality throughout its lifecycle. The pack also incorporates resealability and moisture protection, critical for hygroscopic ingredients.
By using a flexible format, the design reduces material use compared to rigid alternatives and improves logistics efficiency. The result is a pack that not only protects the product but also positions it within the premium global superfood category.
PapeR bottle – Zipform Packaging
The PapeR bottle combines linear forming and dry-moulded fibre technologies to create a fibre-based alternative to plastic and glass bottles. Comprising more than 95 per cent fibre with over 60 per cent locally sourced recycled content, the structure uses water-based adhesives and ultrasonic sealing to deliver a hermetically sealed pack. A key advancement is the move towards a plastic-free heat-sealable coating.
Crucially, the design addresses scalability. With production speeds exceeding 300 units per minute and compatibility with existing bottling lines, it overcomes a major barrier facing fibre bottle concepts. While not commercialised yet, its modular format capability further reduces cost and complexity, positioning it as a viable commercial solution.
Well and Good bread bag – Titan Packaging
This bread bag demonstrates how recycled content can be successfully integrated into high-volume food packaging, incorporating 50 per cent post-consumer recycled plastic while maintaining the performance required for fresh bread.
The film has been engineered to deliver consistent seal strength and machinability at standard production speeds, overcoming a key barrier to adoption. It also maintains clarity and shelf appeal, ensuring product visibility is not compromised.
Aligned with national packaging targets, the pack reduces reliance on virgin resin while remaining fully recyclable. It provides a scalable model for the bakery sector, showing that recycled content can be adopted without trade-offs in quality, efficiency, or shelf life.
