KitKat has increased its use of recycled plastic in the wrappers of select products to 90 per cent, the highest proportion used in soft plastic by any major Australian food brand.
The new wrappers will be used on the classic KitKat and KitKat Gold 4-finger bars, KitKat Chunky Aero Mint bar and classic KitKat block with the step cutting the use of 1,200,000 m2 of virgin plastic each year.
Andrew Lawrey, General Manager Confectionery at Nestlé, said KitKat lovers tell them they want breaks for good – and that packaging matters to them.
“Their appetite for change is accelerating and we know they are looking for better packaging, including packaging made with more recycled material.
“It’s critical that our packaging keeps KitKat safe and fresh and delivers that delicious snap consumers love. While recycled plastic suitable for soft plastic food wrappers continues to be scarce, we will keep working closely with our suppliers to transition as quickly as possible.”
Margaret Stuart, Director of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability at Nestlé Oceania, said they are continuing to work with industry and the value chain to see a future where Australian used plastic can be collected and turned into soft plastic food packaging.
“We hope this wrapper does more than just reduce virgin plastic use. We hope it’s a reminder of the circular potential for soft plastics. We all know the disappointment of not being able to recycle our soft plastics right now, but we’ve designed our wrappers so that where collection is available, they can be recycled.”
The newly packaged KitKat products are available nationwide from October 2023.
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