When it comes to packaging, more isn't better. In fact, Australia's newly launched Unpackit Awards are proving that the smartest packaging solutions are often the simplest.

Created by the Australian Marine Conservation Society, WWF-Australia and the Plastic Free Foundation, the inaugural Unpackit Awards invited Australians to nominate examples of packaging that were either helping or harming the environment. Hundreds of entries were reviewed by experts in packaging, plastics, waste and pollution before Australia's best and worst packaging solutions were crowned.

While some products were called out for excessive or difficult-to-recycle packaging, one standout winner showed exactly what's possible when businesses rethink the way things have always been done.

Australia's Best Packaging Winner

Taking out the top honour for Australia's Best Packaging was The Udder Way, a Tasmanian business tackling one of Australia's most common sources of single-use plastic waste: milk bottles. 

If you've ever worked in or visited a busy café, you've probably seen stacks of empty milk bottles piling up throughout the day. Australia uses more than 500 million single-use plastic milk bottles every year, but The Udder Way asked a simple question: why? 

Their answer was a reusable 18-litre milk keg system. Instead of opening bottle after bottle, cafés connect a reusable keg to a dispensing tap. Once empty, the keg is returned, professionally cleaned, refilled and sent back into circulation, much like the beer keg systems already used across the country.

A Small Change, with Massive Impact

The environmental impact is seriously impressive!

Every time a reusable milk keg completes a cycle, it replaces the equivalent of nine two-litre plastic milk bottles. Since launching, The Udder Way has calculated that its system has prevented more than 4.5 million single-use plastic milk bottles from being used, avoiding over 246,000 kilograms of plastic waste. They're also on track to eliminate another 1.7 million bottles throughout 2026 (woohoo)!

According to live network data shared by The Udder Way, the system has also helped avoid more than 2,477 tonnes of CO₂ while working with 11 dairy partners across five regions. 

Built for the Real World

What really impressed the Unpackit Awards expert panel wasn't just the environmental benefit. It was the practicality.

The reusable kegs are designed to fit within existing delivery trucks, cool rooms and hospitality operations, making it easier for businesses to reduce waste without creating extra work. The system is already being used in cafés, offices, councils and other venues, while refill options are also available for households looking to reduce their reliance on single-use plastic.

The company has also embedded sustainability throughout its operations. Its kegs are manufactured in-house in a solar-powered warehouse using Australia's first electric rotational moulding oven, while reusable pallet wrap helps further reduce waste.

Why These Awards Matter

Packaging makes up around 60% of litter collected in Australia, highlighting just how important smarter packaging solutions can be. Research cited by the Unpackit Awards also shows that replacing single-use packaging with reusable alternatives can reduce packaging-related emissions by up to 90%... that's massive! 

At Go For Zero, this is exactly why we're so passionate about helping people swap everyday single-use products for reusable, lower-waste alternatives. Whether it's replacing disposable deodorant packaging with compostable deodorant tubes, switching plastic dish brushes for natural alternatives, or choosing refillable and package-free products, we believe small swaps can create a huge collective impact over time.

The awards also highlighted some of Australia's worst packaging offenders, including single-use plastic and metal "franken-cans", alongside excessive plastic packaging such as individual mentos wrappers and plastic netting used for fresh produce.

But perhaps the most encouraging takeaway is that solutions already exist! 

The Udder Way shows that reducing waste doesn't always require a futuristic invention. Sometimes it simply means redesigning everyday systems so they work better for people and the planet. If the inaugural Unpackit Awards are anything to go by, Australia's packaging future might just be looking a whole lot less rubbish.

Ready for another feel good story? Check out our blog here about Bosisto's growing Aussie eucalyptus oil production. 

With Love,  Ellie xo