NESTLÉ’S much-loved Smarties brand is to be packaged using recyclable paper material, as the firm continues its sustainability drive.
The rollout of the new packaging, which is expected to be complete in the UK and Ireland by April, is set to remove 250 million plastic packs sold worldwide each year.
The new design includes sharing bags, multipacks and giant hexatubes made from coated paper, paper labels or carton board – all produced from sustainably sourced and recyclable material.
Alexander von Maillot, global head of confectionery at Nestlé, said, “Moving Smarties packaging to recyclable paper is one of our key sustainable packaging initiatives in the confectionery category. It is a further step in realising Nestlé’s ambition to make all of our packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025 and to reduce our use of virgin plastics by one third in the same period.”
Louise Barrett, head of the Nestlé confectionery product technology centre in York, 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 centre for confectionery in York and at 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.”
Alberto Pisanello, brand manager for Smarties, added, “From paper multipacks to sharing bags, we’re delighted to be rolling out this innovative packaging across our Smarties range. We’re also excited to introduce our revamped range of paper-wrapped Smarties blocks. Featuring mini Smarties enveloped in delicious smooth milk, white or orange-flavoured chocolate, it’s Smarties reimagined!”
