Plastic to Paper Packaging: Sweet Wrappers

One of the early signs that the festive season is approaching is shelves stocked with boxes of Quality Street. This iconic confectionery is a family favourite in many households, but the contents will look a little different this Christmas.

Described by producers, Nestle, as a box of jewels, each Quality Street chocolate has been enclosed in a foil layer and a second shiny transparent plastic wrapper. This creates a light-reflecting, shiny effect, which does make the experience a little like discovering a treasure trove.

Recyclable Wrappers

The challenge is that this generates billions of sweet wrappers, which end up in landfill. The chocolates might be quickly devoured, but the wrappers aren’t biodegradable. Those which were used in the first ever boxes to come off the production line are still polluting our planet.

After 86 years, Nestle is addressing environmental concerns by switching plastic to paper packaging. Only the two foil-only chocolates; green triangle and orange crunch will remain unchanged. The rest of the selection will come in new paper wraps. Like the originals, these will be coloured; blue for Coconut Eclairs, pink for Fudge and red for Strawberry Delight.

Although less shiny, these new wrappers can be discarded in the recycling bin. This move by one company will save billions of wrappers from adding to our packaging waste problem. It may also inspire other brands to switch from plastic to paper packaging.

 

Further Information: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/oct/03/quality-street-axes-plastic-wrappers-paper-nestle