Nestlé New Zealand today gave chocolate lovers one more reason to enjoy their break, announcing KitKat will be New Zealand’s first food packed in a wrapper using recycled plastic.
Across Australia and Aotearoa more than 40 million 45g KitKat bars will be packed in the 30% recycled food grade wrapper in the next year, cutting virgin plastic use by around 250,000m2, enough to cover more than 200 x 50m swimming pools.
Nestlé New Zealand CEO Jennifer Chappell said the company was on a mission to cut its virgin plastics use by a third by 2025.
“We’re focussed on less packaging and better packaging. This is a journey of ongoing innovation. While we have made progress in a number of areas, the KitKat 45g bar wrapped in 30% recycled soft plastic, the first of its kind, is a huge stride in the right direction.
“Consumers are increasingly paying attention to the recyclability of the products they use. This innovation is a win-win for KitKat fans; they can give the planet a break, while they take their break. The 30% recycled content wrapper will keep the chocolate crisp, fresh and delicious and the wrapper also remains recyclable through the Soft Plastics Recycling Scheme.
“We want to reduce the amount of virgin plastic we are using on as many KitKat bars as possible, as fast as possible. Currently, soft plastic with recycled content that is suitable for food packaging isn’t widely available anywhere in the world. We’re working to change this.
“We’re committed to our search for this material, and as more becomes available we want to increase the amount we can source for our packaging. In fact, we’ve committed to invest Swiss Franc 2 billion (NZD 3.3 billion) globally to stimulate the market and lead the shift from virgin plastics to food grade recycled plastics.”
The 30% food grade recycled plastic wrapper is supplied by Huhtamaki. The recycled content has been allocated using the mass balance approach and certified by ISCC. More information available at: www.kitkat.com.au/givetheplanetabreak.