Mondelēz International has removed more than 6.4 million plastic windows from chocolate eggs on sale in the UK and Ireland this Easter, taking 5.4 tonnes of plastic out of the environment and making its packaging easier for consumers to recycle.
The packaging change means that the group's full Easter egg range, spanning Cadbury, Cadbury Dairy Milk, Cadbury Bournville, Fry’s, Green & Black’s, Maynard’s Bassets and Oreo is free from plastic.
Packaging Review
The changes come as a result of a review of the cardboard cartons used for its shell egg range, and Mondelēz International was able to remove a further 108 tonnes of cardboard using 100% sustainably sourced cardboard.
The producer has also continued its season-specific on-pack recycling labelling, ‘Be A Good Egg’, in partnership with OPRL, to help consumers dispose of packaging correctly.
Overall, the changes are part of the company’s ‘Pack Light and Pack Right’ strategy and its ongoing efforts to remove, reduce, replace, and recycle packaging across its product range in support of its long-term vision to achieve zero net waste packaging.
Last year in the UK, Mondelēz removed 1.1 million plastic trays from its Christmas selection boxes, delivered a 15% reduction in the plastic used in its iconic Cadbury large share bags, and reduced its shelf-ready packaging for the Cadbury Dairy Milk 360g sharing tablet, saving more than 40 tonnes of cardboard on this product alone.
Louise Stigant, UK Managing Director, Mondelēz International, believes that “increasing the recyclability of our products and reducing the amount of packaging we use overall are important steps in contributing to the creation of a circular economy."
Recycling Goals
On top of the changes it has already made, Mondelēz International has committed to global goals of making 100% of its packaging recyclable and labelled with clear consumer recycling information by 2025, with 93.3% of its total packaging already recyclable.
Recently, the producer announced a new commitment to reduce its use of virgin plastics in its packaging and is aiming for at least a 25% reduction in virgin plastic use in its rigid plastic packaging, or a 5% reduction in virgin plastic use in its overall plastic packaging portfolio.
The company is a member of the UK Plastics Pact and a signatory of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Global Commitment. It recently announced that Philadelphia cream cheese sold in the UK and Europe will be packaged in recycled plastic packaging from 2022.
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Conor Farrelly. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
