The Australian Marine Conservation Society, the Plastic Free Foundation and WWF Australia have worked together to find the “worst” and “best” packaging in Australia through the Unpackit Awards.
The organisers invited people from across the country to share packaging examples, and hundreds of nominations were then assessed by a range of experts.
The worst…
The Unpackit Award for Australia’s Worst Packaging, a hotly contended category, according to the organisers, was awarded to fill-on-site plastic cans available in cafes. These are single-use and built for on-the-go consumption. They reportedly combine plastic in a way that makes them non-recyclable and are excluded from container deposit schemes. Nominators observed these cans replacing existing reusable glasses and cups.
“Filled-on-site plastic cans somehow manage to combine the worst parts of single-use plastic and performative branding into one unnecessary package. In 2026, packaging should solve problems, not indulge in ‘greenwash cosplay’ while sending more disposable plastic into the world,” said expert panellist Murray Richards.
… and the best
In turn, the Unpackit Award for Australia’s Best Packaging was awarded to The Udder Way, a Tasmanian business that sets out to eliminate single-use plastic milk bottles by running a reusable milk keg system.
The Udder Way reportedly delivers 18-litre reusable kegs, designed to be roughly the size of a standard milk crate so they fit into existing delivery trucks and cool rooms. A keg is stored in the cool room, gets connected to a tap, and dispenses milk. When it’s empty, it is returned, cleaned, refilled and returned.
In other news, The Sustainability Awards 2026, focusing on the most sustainable packaging solutions across the world, are under way. Ten years on from the launch of the world’s most prestigious sustainable packaging competition, our expanded jury of 63 international experts has announced this year’s finalists in a new-and-improved range of categories.
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