Amcor has won two WorldStar Global Packaging Awards 2026 for its AmPrima recycle-ready shredded cheese packaging, now commercially deployed with Fonterra Oceania in Australia.

The awards, presented by the World Packaging Organisation, recognise the format in both the Food and Packaging Materials and Components categories.

The solution is already in market for retail and foodservice shredded cheese applications.

Quick Facts

  • Company: Amcor

  • Award: WorldStar Global Packaging Awards 2026

  • Product: AmPrima recycle-ready flexible packaging

  • Application: Shredded cheese (retail & foodservice)

  • Market: Australia / Oceania

  • Estimated impact: 270 tonnes of non-recyclable material removed annually

What Did Amcor Win The Award For?

Amcor received two WorldStar awards for its AmPrima mono-material polyethylene packaging designed for shredded cheese.

The format replaces traditional multi-layer structures that commonly include PET or PVDC. Those legacy materials deliver strong barrier performance but are difficult to recycle.

AmPrima uses a mono-PE film engineered to maintain sealing strength, barrier protection and line efficiency on high-speed production systems.

Why Is This Important For Supermarket Packaging?

Shredded cheese packaging is technically complex. It must protect against moisture and oxygen while running efficiently through automated filling lines.

Historically, this required mixed-material laminates that cannot be processed in soft plastics recycling streams.

By moving to a recycle-ready mono-material structure, brands can align with evolving soft plastics frameworks without redesigning their entire production systems.

The pack is permitted to carry the “Check Locally” logo under the Australasian Recycling Label system, and the Perfect Italiano range in Australia now features this mark on pack.

Fonterra Oceania estimates the transition could remove around 270 tonnes of non-recyclable material from the Australian market each year.

For the Australia packaging sector, this signals continued movement toward compliant mono-material flexible formats in dairy — a category where technical performance has traditionally limited recyclability improvements.

How Does AmPrima Differ From Traditional Cheese Packs?

Traditional shredded cheese packs:

  • Multi-material laminates

  • Difficult to recycle

  • Strong barrier but limited circularity

AmPrima structure:

  • Mono-material polyethylene film

  • Designed for soft plastics recycling streams

  • Maintains barrier, sealing and production performance

The solution previously received Silver at the 2025 Australasian Packaging Innovation & Design Awards, qualifying it for WorldStar entry.

Amcor operates more than 400 sites globally and reports annualised sales of approximately $23 billion.

Further expansion across dairy SKUs is likely as brands respond to retailer sustainability targets and national recycling labelling requirements.

Why It Matters

Flexible dairy packaging has long been one of the most difficult formats to redesign for recyclability. If mono-material solutions can maintain line speed and food safety standards, supermarket and FMCG suppliers gain a clearer pathway toward soft plastics compliance.

For retailers tracking ESG metrics and packaging reduction targets, formats like AmPrima provide measurable material impact without operational disruption.

Editor’s Note: Based on Amcor’s official announcement and confirmed commercial rollout in Australia.