From seaweed to refills: Sustainability Awards highlight shift from single use plastics

SYDNEY - Rezul -- As governments, businesses and consumers continue searching for practical ways to reduce plastic waste, the latest Sustainability Award winners suggest the biggest changes are increasingly happening during product design rather than after disposal.

The 2026 Sustainability Award winners feature businesses replacing conventional plastics with natural materials, reusable systems and compostable alternatives across packaging, personal care, food, hospitality and consumer products.

Among this year's Diamond-winning innovations are seaweed-based packaging developed by Sway to replace plastic shipping polybags, home-compostable bamboo toothbrushes, reusable natural rubber menstrual cups, plastic-free dog toys made from coffee wood and recycled cotton, reusable filtered water systems eliminating bottled water in hospitality, and refillable or waterless beauty products designed to dramatically reduce packaging waste.

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Other winners include reusable glass food packaging with return incentives, aluminium-packaged waterless shampoo concentrates, circular cooking oil systems converting waste into biodiesel, repairable smartphones designed for long product life, and fashion products made from hemp, recycled fibres and reclaimed bison wool.

Anna Chatburn, founder of Sustainability Award, believes consumer expectations are changing rapidly.

"Consumers are becoming much better at identifying genuine sustainability improvements.

"The strongest products we assessed weren't simply using recycled plastic or asking consumers to recycle more. They were eliminating waste altogether through redesign, refill systems, natural materials, repairability and longer product life."

The awards recognise products and organisations based on measurable environmental initiatives including packaging reduction, material innovation, circular economy principles, durability, repairability and broader sustainability performance.

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Winners include Sway, Fairphone, Allbirds, Conscious Pet Co., Tamburlaine Wines, Purezza Water, Frey Wines, Flor de Caña, Endorfin Foods, Seedlip, Koko Kai, Jade Yoga, Hevea, Dew Mighty, Tony's Chocolonely, Dark Island Soap Co., Everist, Ecofry, Pinnacle Packaging, United By Blue, Big Vibes Day, KnowBe4, Ingenio San Antonio and Kylie's Professional.

Together, the winners illustrate how businesses across multiple industries are finding commercially viable ways to reduce reliance on virgin plastics while improving product performance and customer experience.

The full list of Sustainability Award winners is available at:
https://sustainabilityaward.org