Nestlé expands its recyclable paper wrapper tech to include Smarties blocks

Almost 3.5 million Smarties blocks are sold each year, and this represents an important next step in moving the Smarties confectionery range of products to paper packaging, said a Nestlé spokesperson.

The new technology, developed at Nestlé’s R&D centre in York and used for the first time for such widescale production, enables paper to be used on high speed production lines ​previously designed for plastic or laminate packaging.

Richard Watson, business executive officer for Nestlé Confectionery in the UK and Ireland said: “At Nestlé, we have committed to making 100% of our packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025. But we know we need to go further – and we are looking at a range of more sustainable packaging solutions for our confectionery products that can have an impact now. Moving the Smarties confectionery range to paper is one demonstration of this intent, and we are very pleased to introduce the Smarties sharing block in a fully recyclable paper wrapper​.”

Other recent actions Nestlé has announced to introduce alternative and recyclable packaging materials include:

• Investing up to £1.6bn ($2bn) to lead the shift from virgin plastics to food-grade recycled plastics and to accelerate the development of innovative sustainable packaging solutions.

• Signing up to the European Plastics Pact. The Pact will help Nestlé achieve 100% recyclable or reusable packaging and reduce the use of virgin plastics by one third by 2025.

• Creating an Institute of Packaging Sciences to evaluate and develop various sustainable packaging materials and to collaborate with industrial partners to develop new packaging materials and solutions.

The Smarties paper-wrapped block is available now at ASDA supermarkets and a wide range of independent and local stores across the UK.