• New heat sensitive coffee lids are finding favour in coffee shops.
    New heat sensitive coffee lids are finding favour in coffee shops.
Close×

Toast Food Group, which operates cafés for Foxtel Australia, News Limited, The Royal National Park, and the Museum of Sydney, has forked out for heat sensitive coffee lids from Australian packaging firm, Smart Lid Systems.

Toast Food Group was the first company to stock the Smart Lid, though independent outlets are also embracing the concept, according to its maker.

The Smart Lid changes colour when it is placed onto a cup of hot coffee or tea. As the drink cools, the packaging returns to its dark colour.

The patented Australian invention, which is manufactured in Sydney, is designed with safety in mind, but it also grabs the coffee drinker's attention, creating rapport with café staff, according to Anthony Bayss, director of Smart Lid Systems.

“The Smart Lid was invented by café owners, for café owners and we have applied decades of combined café and barista service experience to develop a product that places coffee house owners and consumers at ease regarding the safety concerns of hot beverage spillages," Bayss said.

Packaging News

Following a rigorous two-stage judging process, finalists in the 2026 Women in Packaging Awards have been selected, reflecting the depth of talent, leadership and innovation shaping Australasia’s packaging sector.

Australia’s plastic packaging industry bracing for prolonged disruption, as conflict in the Middle East continues to drive sharp increases in resin costs, freight rates and supply uncertainty.

ASX-listed Papyrus Australia is progressing towards commercialisation of a proprietary process that converts banana plantation waste into refined pulp for use across paper, board and packaging applications.