Nestlé has announced that children’s chocolate brand Smarties has transitioned to 100% recyclable paper packaging for its entire product portfolio.
It is the first global confectionery brand to completely shift to recyclable paper packaging, reducing its plastic footprint by 250 million plastic packs annually.
The sustainable milestone was announced during a virtual press conference hosted by Nestlé Global Head of Confectionery Alexander von Maillot, Nestle NPTC Confectionery Head of Packaging Bruce Funnell and Nestlé Global Head of Affairs Rob Cameron.
The new Smarties paper packaging is made using sustainably-sourced coated paper, paper labels, and carton boards. Information on its sustainability credentials are also printed on the label.
Smarties’ transition to recyclable paper packaging is part of its wider ‘SMART Initiatives’ CSR-programme, which aims to support sustainability and overall product experience.
“Shifting Smarties packaging to recyclable paper is one of our key sustainable packaging initiatives in the confectionery category,” commented Nestlé Global Head of Confectionery Alexander von Maillot. “It is a further step in realising Nestlé’s ambition to make all of its packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025 and to reduce its use of virgin plastics by one third in the same period.”
Von Maillot added, “Sustainability is top of mind for Nestlé, and it makes perfect sense for the Smarties brand. We want to see the world through children’s eyes and create a more colourful world for children. We want to give them clear skies and blue oceans and by transitioning to recyclable paper packaging, we are helping give them that future.”
Nestlé Head of the Confectionery Product Technology Centre Louise Barrett added, “Developing safe and convenient paper-based solutions for Smarties has required the pioneering of new materials and testing by Nestlé packaging experts at our R&D Center for confectionery in York, UK and the Swiss-based Institute of Packaging Sciences. We adapted our existing manufacturing lines to allow for the careful handling that is required for paper, while also ensuring recyclability across all new formats.”
Nestlé is moving fast to deliver its ambitious sustainability commitments. The group has pledged to transition to 100% recyclable or reusable packaging and reduce the use or virgin plastic by one-third by 2025.
To date, Nestlé has successfully shifted 87% of packaging (66% for plastic packaging) to recyclable and reusable alternatives. In 2019, it reduced 142,000 metric tons of packaging materials.
In line with these sustainability goals, Nestlé has made significant investments into upgrading its factories, particularly its main factory in Hamburg, Germany. The company also opened the doors to the Nestlé Institute of Packaging Sciences — a first-of-its-kind facility in the industry — dedicated to creating a strong pipeline of sustainable packaging solutions.
The 50-person facility functions in close partnership with Nestlé’s global research & development network of packaging experts around the world. Through the facility, Nestlé aims to build a vibrant ecosystem for packaging innovation working with startups, suppliers and other research institutions.
Nestlé’s company-wide sustainability strategy is defined by five key pillars: Reduce, Reuse & Refill, Alternative Materials, Infrastructure and Behaviour Change.
Commenting on the pillars, Nestlé Global Head of Affairs Rob Cameron said: “If we want to change behaviours on sustainability, that change has to start at home. We have to change our mindset about how we go about our work and that also transitions to our brands and our workplace.
“More broadly, we need to change how we work with our customers. This also requires a shift in the part of our retail customers. We need to understand their pressing needs, so our sustainable solutions can work within their retail environments.”