KitKat is introducing recyclable paper packaging as a “pilot test” for the brand, which for a limited time, will be available for its bar across Australia.
Nestlé will produce more than a quarter of a million KitKat bars wrapped in paper in an exclusive partnership with Coles, a local retailer. The packaging will also come with a QR code where people can scan to have their say and provide feedback on the new paper packaging.
Packaging experts at Nestlé’s Confectionery Research and Development Centre in York, UK, adapted and tested the paper, while scaling it up for use on modified high-speed flow wrapping equipment.
“We are exploring different types of alternative packaging solutions for our confectionery products. For KitKat, the challenge was to find the right paper packaging solution with a high level of barrier properties to adequately protect the chocolate,” explained Louise Barrett, Head of the Nestlé Confectionery Product Technology Centre. “We had to maintain the perfect balance between the iconic crispy wafer and smooth chocolate that people know and love, whilst at the same time ensuring the packaging is recyclable in the paper stream.”
The paper packaging pilot for KitKat is a positive step for the company’s commitment to use innovation to meet its packaging commitments, as Nestlé has set a goal to reduce the use of virgin plastics by a third by 2025 which includes using less plastic, recycled plastic and alternatives to plastic packaging. Other recent innovations includes Smarties, which introduced recyclable paper packaging for all of its confectionery products globally in 2021 and Quality Street, which introduced recyclable paper wrappers in 2022.
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