SIG has introduced Australia’s first recycle-ready bag-in-box packaging for wine, developed and manufactured at its Adelaide facility in collaboration with leading domestic wine producers. The launch represents a significant advance in the company’s ambition to create a regenerative food packaging system, building on the debut of its recycle-ready bag for water in 2024.
The new pack is made from SIG Terra RecShield, a mono-material film with a proprietary polymer structure that replaces the conventional multi-layer film containing aluminium. This design ensures that all components — bag, tap and carton — are recycle-ready. The development supports the Australian 2025 National Packaging Targets and meets the Sustainable Packaging Guidelines set by the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO).
In a further innovation, SIG’s Adelaide-based R&D team has developed the country’s first locally manufactured wine tap made from light grey polymers, enabling optical sorters at recycling facilities to detect and separate it more easily, improving the quality of recovered plastics. When assessed through APCO’s Packaging Recyclability Evaluation Portal (PREP), the complete pack receives a “Check Locally” classification under the Australian Recycling Label. This guides consumers to kerbside collection where facilities exist, or to alternative drop-off points such as supermarkets or council centres.
Extensive shelf-life tests and transport trials with Hill-Smith Family Estates, Vinarchy, De Bortoli Wines and Calabria Family Wines validated the pack’s performance and integrity.
Carmen Houston, ANZ Head of Marketing & Sustainability at SIG, said: “SIG has been at the forefront of bag-in-box packaging globally, and this product continues our commitment to innovation and leadership in sustainable packaging solutions for our customers, consumers, and the planet. Working with APCO and our winery partners, we are bringing a recycle-ready solution to market that fits Australian recycling infrastructure while maintaining wine quality through the supply chain.”
Bag-in-box formats are already recognised for advantages over glass bottles, including lower transport emissions, space-efficient storage, and longer shelf life after opening due to reduced light and oxygen exposure. Removing the aluminium layer further lowers the pack’s carbon footprint and simplifies recycling.
Jason Spiteri, Executive Director – Wine at Hill Smith Family Estates, said: “Winesmiths, a proudly owned brand of Hill-Smith Family Estates, has led the varietal bag-in-box wine category in Australia for more than 40 years. We’re pleased to continue that legacy of innovation with this Australian-first, recycle-ready bag-in-box packaging from SIG. From the beginning, this has been a true partnership built on shared sustainability values, mutual trust, and a joint ambition to innovate. SIG brought deep technical expertise to the table, while respecting and drawing on our long-standing knowledge of the wine-on-tap category. We are proud to bring this important step forward in packaging to Australian shelves early in 2026.”
SIG’s Australian R&D team is continuing to explore further recycle-ready solutions for other beverage and food service applications, aiming to further reduce the environmental footprint of flexible packaging.
