SIG has introduced Australia’s first recycle-ready bag-in-box wine packaging, which has been designed and produced in its Adelaide factory in collaboration with leading winemakers like Hill-Smith Family Estates, Vinarchy, DeBortoli Wines, and Calabria Family Wines.
The milestone follows SIG’s track record in bag-in-box innovation and comes less than a year after introducing the nation’s first recycle-ready water bag in 2024. The move is in alignment with the company’s vision of creating a regenerative system for food packaging.
Central to the new design is SIG Terra RecShield, a mono-material film composed of a specially formulated polymer, which replaces the conventional multi-layer, aluminium-based film. With this innovation, all aspects of the bag-in-box, the bag, tap, and carton, are now recyclable.
SIG confirms that this packaging adheres to the Sustainable Packaging Guidelines defined by the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) and supports the country’s 2025 National Packaging Targets.
The Adelaide-based R&D team at SIG has also developed Australia’s first locally manufactured wine tap made from light grey polymers. This tap is designed for optimal detection by optical sorters at recycling facilities, which enhances material recovery rates and the quality of recycled outputs.
Through evaluation by APCO’s Packaging Recyclability Evaluation Portal (PREP), the complete pack receives a “Check Locally” rating under the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL). This guides consumers to kerbside recycling where available or to alternative drop-off points, such as supermarkets or local council collection centres.
The performance and integrity of the recycle-ready packaging have been verified through extensive shelf-life testing and transport trials conducted in collaboration with SIG’s winery partners.
Bag-in-box wine packaging already has environmentally friendly benefits over conventional glass bottles, such as fewer transport emissions, more effective storage, and longer freshness when opened due to less light and oxygen exposure. Removing the layer of aluminium reduces the carbon footprint further while streamlining recycling processes.
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.”
Jason Spiteri, executive director, Wine at Hill-Smith Family Estates, stated: “We’re pleased to continue that legacy of innovation with this Australian-first, recycle-ready bag-in-box packaging from SIG,” highlighting Winesmiths’ long-standing leadership in the varietal bag-in-box category for more than four decades.
SIG’s Australian R&D team is actively advancing additional recycle-ready solutions for beverage and foodservice applications, with further launches planned in the near future.