Nestlé and Packaging

Nestlé is firmly committed to continuing to find packaging solutions, which will contribute to a better environment. Packaging is essential for both Nestlé and for the consumer as it ensures the safety and quality of products - from manufacture through to storage, distribution and consumption. In addition, packaging contributes to product appeal, provides convenience and communicates information, such as nutrition and serving instructions. Packaging includes tamper-evident features and can also help prevent or reduce product waste.

Nestlé utilises a wide variety of packaging materials to ensure that our products are delivered to our customers and consumers in the same way they left the factory.
Materials used in our packaging are:

• Plastic Laminates - made from a variety of structures containing the following materials. Polyester, Polypropylene, Polyethylene, Ionermers, Paper, Aluminium foils.
• Paper Sacks
• Metal Cans - made from tinplate
• Cartons - made from virgin kraft and recycled fibres
• Rigid Plastic Packaging - made from Polypropylene, Polystyrene and Polyethylene
• Glass Packaging - Jars
• Corrugated Fibreboard Boxes - made from virgin kraft and recycled fibres

Packaging Minimisation

Nestlé globally supports an integrated approach to packaging waste minimisation that favours reduction, reuse, recycling and energy recovery to minimise the impact of packaging on the environment. The Nestlé Policy on the Environment Since 1991, environmental considerations have become an important criterion in Nestlé's renovation and innovation of packages and packaging materials. Reducing the amount of packages and packaging materials needed for a product, whilst safeguarding safety and quality, is a continuing key objective and priority.

In New Zealand, the Nestlé Oceania Environmental Policy  (in  pdf format) commits the organisation to "constantly strive to identify new ways to reduce packaging, to minimise waste, to prevent pollution, to save energy and to conserve natural resources" and "to address these concerns early in the design stage for new products and processes". This is also reiterated in the Nestlé Oceania Packaging Policy. (in  pdf format)


Recent examples of efforts to reduce packaging at the Nestlé Wiri factory include……

• Changing the Foodservice tin packaging to polypropylene. This move resulted in a lighter packaging and better product to packaging ratio. The change was very positive offering an aesthetically pleasing pack with a 50% saving in tons of packaging used. The tub is also fully recyclable and reusable i.e. dishwasher safe and microwave safe.
• A further light weighting exercise was carried out on the same product lines by moving them from a case to a tray. This was a 46% savings in tons of corrugated board usage.
• Another light weighting exercise was the structure and size change on the MAGGI Recipe Mix sachets. The new structure has better yields therefore less packaging is needed. The exercise trimmed 45tonnes off our annual foil/paper laminate usage.
• Changing the packaging of MAGGI FONDOR and MARIDOR products was another example of moving from a non-recyclable packaging to a fully recyclable one. These products were packed in a composite can which was not recyclable. In a bid to increase the use of recyclable packaging, the composite can was replaced it with a PET jar labelled with a PET shinksleeve, capped with a PP closure. While the weight in the packaging stays the same, benefits can be seen in the recyclability of the packaging.

The New Zealand Packaging Accord

Nestlé is an active member of the New Zealand Packaging Accord. This is a voluntary industry and government initiative to make more sustainable use of packaging. The Accord was signed on 10 August 2004 and will run for five years, from 2004 to 2009.
The aim of the Accord is to improve the sustainability of packaging used in New Zealand by:

• better partnerships, policies and processes
• brand owners and retailers taking the primary responsibility for product stewardship throughout the packaging lifecycle
• greater material and energy efficiency in the production, use and recovery of packaging materials
• supply chain initiatives that foster markets for sustainably-made packaging, including more use of recovered packaging materials
  
  The goal is for everyone to waste less and be more efficient when making, using and recovering packaging materials. Nestlé is committed to these goals. To learn more see http://www.mfe.govt.nz/issues/sustainable-industry/initiatives/packaging/

The New Zealand Glass Packaging Forum

Nestlé is a member of the New Zealand Glass Packaging forum which is a voluntary product stewardship initiative and is operating successfully without requirement for legislation.
With around 5% more glass packaging recovered from homes year on year, New Zealand needs to find additional sustainable alternative recycling uses for its glass. To finance research and development into these alternatives, the Glass Packaging Forum, has established a voluntary levy on all those making, using or selling glass containers in New Zealand. Nestlé contributes to this fund. To learn more visit http://www.glassforum.org.nz/

PIQET

Nestlé is one of five company sponsors of a rapid life cycle assessment based tool, known as PIQET©. The tool has been developed by the Sustainable Packaging Alliance, a joint initiative of the Centre for Design at RMIT University, Birubi Innovation, and Victoria University’s Plastics and Polymer Research Unit.

The aim of the tool is to provide the basis for development of more environmentally sustainable packaging, assessing packaging specifications against current life cycle assessment data, and packaging recycling and waste management data.

Click here to visit the SPA website and find out more about PIQET©