Guittard Chocolate Company to use PCR packaging for gourmet products

The 150+-year-old, family-owned company is known for its premium chocolate as well as its sustainable focus and its new packaging will be made up of 24% PCR materials.

The addition of the PCR to Guittard’s line of flexible film-packaged products not only maintains the integrity of the bag and the product’s shelf life, but also significantly reduces the use of virgin plastic.

As part of its Cultivate Better sustainability platform, the company said it dedicates itself to honourable sourcing, expert crafting, industry leadership, environmental initiatives, and long-term sustainability both at home and in the cacao-growing countries in which it works.

A spokesperson for the company said the PCR packaging was first introduced with the launch of Santé, Guittard’s new coconut sugar-sweetened chocolate. According to a third-party analysis, the use of PCR saved around 16,000 kg of virgin plastic, equal to the plastic from nearly 270,000 one-gallon milk bottles. 

The commitment to using post-consumer recycled materials joins a continuum of efforts that Guittard has implemented to meet long-term sustainability goals.

“As a multigenerational family-owned business, we understand the importance of improving our output and reducing our environmental impact while maintaining the quality that our customers have come to expect​,” said Gary Guittard, CEO and fourth generation of Guittard Chocolate Company. “Not only are these choices important for the future of our business, employees and product, but they’re the right thing to do for the health of our collective future​.”

 In addition to PCR, Guittard has also:

• Added solar panels to its Fairfield facility, offsetting 50% of the facility’s energy demand while saving 1,217 metric tons of CO2 emissions per year
• Begun a significant reduction of waste to landfills by working with local companies to upcycle used burlap cocoa bean sacks. This effort will reduce the waste to landfills by approximately 25%. Guittard is also working with recycling partners to meet Zero Waste goals
• Has engaged in the process of installing a new water chiller system that will save water as well as energy with the goal of reducing water usage 50% by 2025.