Nestlé redesigns confectionery sharing bags to cut plastic use

Nestlé has redesigned its confectionery sharing bags in the UK and Ireland to use on average 15% less packaging.

From next month, brands including Milkybar, Aero Bubbles, Munchies, Rolo, Yorkie and Rowntree’s Randoms will be sold in new narrower pouches.

Nestlé expects the packaging changes to result in at least 83 tonnes of virgin plastic being taken out of its supply chain every year.

The company – which sells approximately 140 million confectionery sharing bags in the UK and Ireland every year – also claims that the move will save 130 tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually.

Cheryl Allen, head of sustainability for Nestlé Confectionery, said: “Nestlé is working hard to reduce its use of virgin plastic by one third by 2025. Removing 15% of the packaging from our sharing bags is an important step towards this goal.

“The move will not only save on the amount of virgin plastic we use each year, it will have significant benefits throughout our supply chain in the UK and Ireland.

“For example, we can now pack more sharing bags at a time, which means fewer lorries are needed to transport them. In total, we will be able to take the equivalent of 331 lorries off UK roads every year, saving 71,472 road miles and 130 tonnes of CO₂ emissions.”

Nestlé also has a partnership in place with TerraCycle that aims to facilitate the recycling of plastic wrappers that are not currently collected at kerbside.

The company is aiming to make all of its packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025.