In 2012, Nestlé UK & Ireland made the announcement that all plastic egg packaging from its entire Easter egg range had been removed. The manufacturer of SMARTIES®, KIT KAT® and AERO® Easter eggs remains the only major confectioner to have removed plastic packaging from all its eggs; the 2012 milestone was the culmination of a six year process that has saved 726 tonnes of plastic waste going to landfill per year*.
The last products to become 100% recyclable were the YORKIE®, MUNCHIES® and KIT KAT® Easter eggs which include a branded mug. The 48 tonnes of plastic used to secure the mug and egg was replaced with recyclable cardboard certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and a compostable film for the windows resulting in a 30% reduction in packaging in the mug eggs. In 2011, 100 tonnes of plastic was removed across the entire range.
Highlights in UK and Ireland of this reduction programme included:
- Between 2006 and 2012, Nestlé Confectionery UK & Ireland reduced the weight of packaging for small and medium-sized eggs by 30-50%. In 2009, the company became the first major confectioner to replace non-recyclable plastic with recyclable cardboard packaging in 20 million eggs – 80% of the range. In 2012, Nestlé became the first confectioner to achieve 100% recyclable Easter egg packaging
- In 2009, Nestlé Confectionery built on previous packaging reductions to Christmas selection boxes by becoming the first major confectionery manufacturer to replace the plastic insert with a card presentation tray, making 95% of the boxes recyclable. We also managed to reduce the weight of our medium-sized and large boxes by 17% and 20% respectively.
- Nestlé Confectionery UK & Ireland was also the first major confectioner to achieve no artificial colours, flavours and preservatives in any of its range.
Notes to editor
*Based on a comparison with the 726 tonnes of plastic used by Nestlé to make Easter egg boxes in 2008
Please click here for our announcement in 2012.