A reusable milk keg system that has eliminated millions of plastic bottles has taken out top honours in the inaugural Unpackit Awards, while a controversial plastic-and-aluminium iced drink container has been named Australia's worst packaging.
A new awards program launched by the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS), Plastic Free Foundation and WWF-Australia is shining a spotlight on both packaging innovation and packaging waste, as debate over Australia's long-awaited packaging reforms continues.
The inaugural Unpackit Awards were announced in Canberra on 3 June, following hundreds of public nominations assessed by a panel of environmental experts. Independent MPs Sophie Scamps, Allegra Spender and Kate Chaney presented the awards.
Taking out the award for Australia's Best Packaging was The Udder Way, a reusable milk keg system that replaces single-use plastic milk bottles in cafés and foodservice outlets. According to the organisers, the system has displaced an estimated 4.5 million plastic milk bottles and more than 246 tonnes of plastic waste since its introduction in 2021.
The 18-litre stainless steel kegs operate similarly to beer kegs, allowing baristas to dispense milk directly from the container before it is collected, cleaned, refilled and returned to service. The concept is now being trialled in some supermarkets, enabling consumers to refill their own reusable milk bottles.
WWF-Australia's no plastic in nature policy manager Malene Hand said the success of The Udder Way demonstrated that practical alternatives to single-use packaging already exist.
"The Udder Way's reusable kegs are designed to fit into existing delivery trucks and cool rooms," Hand said. "This success story shows we have the solutions to beat plastic pollution – what's missing is the government support to scale them up."
At the other end of the spectrum, the award for Australia's Worst Packaging went to plastic-and-metal hybrid beverage containers that some cafés are using to serve iced drinks. The containers consist of a rigid plastic cup sealed with an aluminium can-style lid, creating a mixed-material format that is difficult to recycle and generally ineligible for container deposit schemes.
The judges described the format as a symbol of unnecessary single-use packaging and questioned its environmental credentials.
Several additional packaging formats were singled out by the awards. Honourable mentions in the positive category went to reusable pallet wrap provider Bearhug and reusable coffee cup system Cercle, while Mentos' individually wrapped mints, plastic-netted avocados sold by major supermarkets, and plastic-wrapped dumbbells from Kmart received dishonourable mentions.
Beyond recognising individual products, the awards were used to reinforce calls for national packaging regulation.
AMCS plastics campaigns manager Cip Hamilton said the winners highlighted both the opportunities and shortcomings of Australia's current packaging system, arguing that voluntary approaches alone would not be enough to reduce problematic packaging formats.
The timing is significant. Industry, government and environmental groups are currently engaged in discussions around Australia's proposed packaging reforms, including stronger design requirements, measures to reduce problematic packaging, and the introduction of mandatory extended producer responsibility arrangements.
While industry stakeholders continue to debate the details, the Unpackit Awards add another voice to the growing conversation around how packaging should be designed, recovered and reused in a future circular economy.
Unpackit Awards 2026
Australia's Best Packaging
Winner: The Udder Way – refillable milk keg system
Honourable mentions
Bearhug – reusable pallet wrap system
Cercle – reusable coffee cup system
Australia's Worst Packaging
Winner: Plastic-and-aluminium hybrid iced drink "cans" used by cafés
Dishonourable mentions:
Mentos – individually wrapped branded mints
Coles, Woolworths and Aldi – avocados sold in plastic netting
Kmart Anko – dumbbell set with individually wrapped weights
