In an attempt to eradicate plastic packaging, Nestle announced that Australia’s top-selling chocolate bar, KitKat, will test a paper packaging wrapper on the KitKat four-finger 45g variant. For a brief time frame, Australia’s four-finger bar will be sold in Western Australia, South Australia, and the Northern Territory in recyclable paper packaging.
The paper was upscaled and validated by packaging specialists at Nestlé’s Confectionery Research and Development Center in York, UK, prior to its use on modified high-speed flow wrapping machinery.
More than a quarter of a million bars with paper wrapping will be produced by Nestle with an exclusive partner Coles, a local retailer. People may use the QR code given on the package to voice their opinions and provide insightful comments on the new paper packaging.
Head of the York Nestlé Confectionery Product Technology Center Louise Barrett stated: “We are looking into several alternatives to traditional packaging for our confectionery items. Finding the ideal paper packaging for KitKat that has strong barrier characteristics to safeguard the chocolate was a challenge. We wanted to make sure the packaging was recyclable in the paper stream while still maintaining the ideal balance between the iconic crunchy wafer and smooth chocolate that consumers know and love.”
The strategy, which includes using less plastic, recycled plastic, and alternatives to plastic packaging, is said to be a portion of Nestlé’s broader sustainability objective to cut the use of virgin plastics by a third by 2025. The company tested recyclable paper wrappers for Smarties tubes in 2021, and for Quality Street candies in 2022.
Coles is delighted to join with Nestlé on this significant trial, which will give consumers an opportunity to voice in on new packaging possibilities and back the company’s drive to develop new solutions, according to Coles GM of Grocery, Leanne White.
References:
https://www.packagingnews.com.au/latest/nestle-s-kitkat-in-paper-packaging-trial
https://consumergoods.com/nestle-trials-recyclable-packaging-paper-wrapped-kitkat-bars
Recyclable paper packaging for Nestle’s KitKat